Long Road Ahead
by LiveLaughLove728
Summary: After months of waiting, Percy finally returns home after the Giant War with Annabeth, but nothing is ever easy and the road to recovery is a long one.
1. Homecoming

**Hi! So this is my first story. I thought it was a good idea, so let me know what you think. I'm thinking about adding on to this and making it into a two-shot. Please read and review! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story!**

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Paul sat at the kitchen table, pretending to read a newspaper. He was really watching his wife, Sally, as she did the dishes. Normally, dish washing was a team effort, she'd wash, he'd dry and put away. However, lately, she'd insisted on doing them alone. At first, he'd resisted, but finally surrendered to his wife's wishes.

Paul knew why. As he sat there, watching his wife work, his suspicions were confirmed. As Sally was rinsing off a plate, she stared at the water. She placed the dish down and absentmindedly ran her hand under the water. Paul knew she was thinking about Percy. The water reminded her of him, which made sense, being as Percy was the son of Poseidon, god of the sea. Water meant the sea, and the sea meant Percy, their lost hero. He hated seeing Sally this way, but she'd gotten more distant each day since she'd heard the news. Paul still couldn't believe it.

About a month ago, Chiron had Iris Messaged Sally and him, explaining that Percy and Annabeth had fallen into Tartarus, the deepest, worst part of the Underworld. Sally had completely lost it, and Paul wasn't far behind. Slowly, things were becoming easier, but the pain was still there, right under the surface, threatening to overtake them at any time. Some days were worse than others, but things were never the same. That day, he and Sally were forced to go from optimistic to praying for the miraculous.

Honestly, Paul tried not to think about it, because when he did, the tears came with the hopelessness of the situation. Paul was still pretty new to the whole idea of gods, demigods, and monsters, but from what he'd learned from teaching Ancient History at Goode, Tartarus was no place you'd want to be. Chiron had explained the situation in detail, and the pain in his voice had resonated deep inside the both of them.

Paul was jolted back to reality by a persistent knocking on the door of their apartment. He glanced at Sally questioningly, but her face told him that she wasn't expecting anyone either. He made his way to the door, preparing to get rid of whatever salesman it was this time, but who he found on the other side of the door was no salesman. Paul almost didn't believe his eyes.

He was a teenager, but a shell of one. His clothes looked clean enough, jeans and a T-shirt, but the exposed skin told a different story. Covering his arms, neck and face were scratches, scars, and bruises. His dark hair was disheveled and needing to be cut, but parts of it were uneven, as if it had been torn out. His face was that of someone who hadn't eaten in a while, and it matched his too skinny frame. His eyes were the same shocking, sea green with their usual glint, but underneath, they told of such fear and torment that Paul instantly wondered what the poor kid must have experienced in that horrid place, and he didn't like it one bit. Under those eyes were dark bags, which made Paul wonder if he'd slept at all in weeks. Some would say that Percy looked absolutely terrible. To Paul, he'd never looked better.

"Percy," Paul whispered, mostly to himself.

Paul stood in the doorway, stunned, and the look on his face must have been pretty funny, because Percy, even in his current state, gave a small smile, before stumbling forward and enveloping Paul in a huge hug. They stood there, in the doorway, hugging, for a few minutes. Percy was home, and, gods, it felt good!

When they pulled away, Percy looked at him, tears threatening to spill over.

"Good gods, what happened to you?" Paul asked.

Percy paused, and for a second, Paul wondered if he shouldn't have asked, then Percy shook his head and said, in a very unPercy-like way, "So many things, but please don't make me explain…" He trailed off and his eyes seemed to glaze over. He got a faraway look in his eyes, and for a second, Paul honestly questioned his sanity. Then, Percy closed his eyes tightly and shook his head, as if to shake the awful memories from it. He looked back at Paul and asked, "Is mom…"

Paul nodded, chastising himself for not getting her sooner. "Sally!" he called, "Come in here!"

A moment later, Sally appeared in the entrance to the kitchen. "Wha-" she began, cutting off when she saw her son standing there. Immediately the tears welled up in her eyes.

"Hi, mom," Percy said softly, as he made his way, limping, but trying to hide it, over to her. Sally closed the distance quickly, hugging Percy so tightly, Paul worried his step-son's broken form would shatter.

"Percy… oh, Percy," Sally crooned, crying openly now. Paul watched the reunion with tears in his eyes, and a smile on his face. He glanced toward the door and noticed Annabeth standing in the corner, watching with a smile. She looked about as healthy as Percy, and she was on crutches with, what looked like, a broken ankle. Paul felt a little guilty for not noticing her sooner, as he made his way over to her and pulled her in for a hug. She felt so small and breakable, so unhealthy compared to when he'd last seen her, which was the day before she and the other members of the quest had left for California. When he pulled away, he noticed that Annabeth was also covered head to toe in injuries, and had that same broken look in her eyes.

_What on earth went on down there?_ Paul wondered as he looked back and forth between Annabeth and Percy, who was still hugging his mother.

When Sally finally let Percy go, she did a quick once-over of Percy, and Paul could tell from her face that she was wondering the same thing that he was. Her eyes welled up again as she looked back into her son's eyes.

"Mom, I know… but I'm okay, I promise," Percy assured her as he pulled her in for another hug, but Paul had looked into those eyes of his, that now seemed to harbor so much pain, and he wondered if that was really true. Sally looked over at Paul, and seemed to notice Annabeth for the first time. She immediately ran to greet her in a similar manner to the way she did Percy.

Percy looked to Paul and gave him a look that said: _Can you believe it? I'm gone for nine months, and she still loves her more!_ In that moment, the dark undertone seemed to disappear from Percy's eyes, and Paul was momentarily reassured that underneath all those injuries and pain, Percy was still in there somewhere. Paul knew that it would just take a little while before he came out again.

After Sally was done fussing over Percy and Annabeth, she led (more like carefully dragged) them into the kitchen and insisted that they eat. Paul sat across from the two, and noticed how much the both of them had really changed. They sat next to each other, but closer than was usual for them. Both seemed on edge, as if ready for an attack at any moment. They seemed more serious and sullen, and there wasn't the usual joking or banter. Paul realized that before him, sat two teenagers who had literally been through hell and back. They'd been torn apart, both physically and emotionally. They'd each seen and been through more than probably anyone else on the planet. He saw how they tried to cover it up, but their eyes gave them away. No matter what they said, it was obvious that they weren't okay, and wouldn't be for a long, long time, if ever. It was obvious that, without the other, one would completely fall apart.

As Paul sat there, he realized that ahead of the two of them, laid a long road to recovery, and it wasn't a pretty one. Paul didn't know what the future held for either of them, but he did know one thing. Paul knew that no matter what happened, he would be there for the both of them, and he would do whatever he could to help. They would get better. They had to, not only for themselves, but for the other, for Sally, for their friends at Camp, and yes, even for himself.

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	2. The First of Many

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed! You guys are great! I'm glad everyone's liked this so far! :)**

**Here's the second chapter! I wasn't sure at first if I was going to continue this or not, but you guys convinced me! Tell me what ya think! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.**

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That night was a hard one. Sally had insisted that Annabeth stay the night, causing both her and Percy to look as if a huge weight had been lifted off their shoulders. Their obvious relief made Paul wonder if the two had been separated at all since coming home. He noticed how they were always close together, always touching, as if joined at the hip. He wondered if the only thing keeping one sane was the other.

When it was well past a reasonable time for bed, Paul announced that he was going to sleep. Sally hesitated, as if she didn't want to leave Percy, for fear that he wouldn't be there in the morning, but she gave the teens one last hug each, and made sure they had everything they needed for the night. Now, you might think that having your son's girlfriend over for the night was a bad idea, but Paul trusted the two to be responsible, and Sally did too. Secretly, Paul was worried that separating them, even for the night, would be hazardous to their mental health. It was obvious that, whatever it was that went on in Tartarus, it had badly scarred them both.

Annabeth, who was sleeping on the couch, accepted some old clothes of Percy's, and made her way to the bathroom. Paul stood in the hallway entrance, watching this. He noticed how Percy instantly stiffened at Annabeth's absence, and watched her retreating figure; as if he expected something terrible to happen to her in the short time it would take her to get ready for bed.

Percy seemed to come out of his daze, and turned and made his way to his room. Paul went into his and Sally's bedroom and got himself ready for bed. He climbed in, and was joined by Sally a few minutes later. All was quiet, and Paul felt himself drifting off, relieved and happy to have his son home again.

The peace was short lived however, when, what seemed like only minutes later, he and Sally were awaken by violent, terrified screaming that could only be Percy. The kid sounded like he was being murdered, and Paul's heart was in his throat as he jumped up and rushed down the hallway to his step son's bedroom with Sally at his heels. He burst into the room and found that Percy was not being murdered, but rather was in bed kicking and flailing, with tears running down his face as he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Sally rushed forward and attempted to comfort her son, but wasn't getting very far, as he was moving too much, and screaming too loudly. She turned to Paul, with a desperate look in her tear filled eyes. She was obviously terrified, and Paul wasn't doing much better. Then, it seemed to hit her.

"Annabeth!" she called to Paul over the screaming, "Get Annabeth!" It took Paul a few seconds to register what Sally was saying over the screaming and overall dysfunction of the situation, but once he understood, he took off down the hall and into the living room.

He found Annabeth in pretty much the same situation as Percy, only she wasn't screaming, not yet, at least. Paul placed a hand on Annabeth's shoulder and shook gently. She must not have been as deep into the nightmare, if you can call it that, as Percy was, because her eyes snapped open. Her face wore a petrified expression that changed to confusion, then to realization in a matter of seconds. She shot to her feet, careful to avoid her injured ankle, grabbed her crutches, and made her way, as quickly as possible, to Percy's bedroom, with Paul right behind her.

Annabeth pulled Percy close and held on tight, stroking his hair and speaking quietly to him.

"Percy. Percy, you're okay. Percy, shhh. I'm here. It's okay," Annabeth told him. This continued on for a minute or two before Percy started calming down. The screaming stopped, and eventually his eyes snapped open. He stared at Annabeth, held her close, and started sobbing.

"They were everywhere. They had you…you were, you-" he sobbed into her shoulder, holding onto her for dear life.

"Percy, I'm okay, you're okay. We made it out. We're fine," Annabeth comforted him. Finally, Percy seemed to get a hold of himself again, and he glanced at his parents, standing anxiously in the doorway. He reluctantly let go of Annabeth, and got out of bed. He made his way over to them.

"Sorry," Percy told them, "The nightmares have been pretty bad since… you know." He looked down sheepishly. Sally rushed forward, embracing her son, and assuring him that it was fine. They'd get through this. He'd be fine.

A few minutes later, things calmed down, and everyone made their way back to their respective beds. Paul had a hard time falling back to sleep again. Percy was the strongest person he knew. He'd been through so much, and still wore a smile every day; but never had Paul seen Percy in such a weak, unstable state. For the first time, Paul was genuinely concerned for his step son, but after a while, he fell asleep again.

About an hour later, it was Annabeth's turn. Paul and Sally were again awoken by petrified screaming. They rushed to the bedroom, but found that Percy was already there, comforting her in a way very similar to the way she had to him and hour earlier. Once Annabeth was brought back to reality, she too, apologized for waking everybody, but of course no one minded.

Paul decided to voice his concern. "Does this happen every night?" Percy and Annabeth glanced at each other, then at Paul, then at the floor.

Percy took a deep breath. "Yeah. Ever since we go out…" he told Paul.

"Sorry," Annabeth apologized again.

"Don't apologize, sweetie," Sally told her. "It's not your fault. You'll get through this. I'm here for you both. We both are," she glanced at Paul as she said that last part. Paul nodded his agreement.

"Thanks," Percy and Annabeth said together. After another few minutes and hugs all around, the four went to bed for the third time that night.

When Paul woke up, he was surprised to find sunlight streaming through the window and not having been woken up again by screaming. Paul glanced at the clock: 8:17am. He decided to get up, and was surprised to find Sally following him.

They passed the living room, expecting to find Annabeth sleeping on the couch, but she wasn't there. Sally must have noticed this as well, because she immediately took on a concerned expression. She walked to Percy's bedroom door and knocked. No response. She glanced at Paul and opened the door. A smile spread across her face at the scene inside.

In Percy's bed, fast asleep, holding onto each other as if their lives depended on it were Percy and Annabeth, with tear stained cheeks, and bags under their eyes that said they had yet to get a good night's sleep. It was obvious that there had been more episodes last night, but the other was there to comfort, before the screaming began.

Paul smiled at the two teenagers, happy that, at least for now, they seemed to be sleeping somewhat soundly. Sally closed the door and the two made their way into the kitchen. Paul knew that last night was only the first of many. Those kids were mental wrecks, and only time could heal those wounds, but it seemed that they were off to a good start. Not even the darkest pits of hell could separate the two of them. Paul knew, now more than ever, that as long as they had each other, Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase would make it through this. And despite the current circumstances, this thought made Paul smile.

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	3. Hope

**Here's chapter 3! Thanks to Chazaq for the idea! **

**I'm so happy that everyone seems to like this story so much! Thanks to those who reviewed. You guys made my day! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians!**

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Paul sat behind the wheel of his slightly beat up Prius, with Sally in the passenger seat. Percy and Annabeth sat in the back. They were driving to Montauk for the weekend. Percy had been home for a week now, and Annabeth was temporarily living with them. Sally had insisted that a little fresh air would be good for the both of them, so here they were, driving to the cabin that Sally had been visiting since she was young.

Paul tried to listen to Sally as she went on about a writing seminar she wanted to attend in October. He loved her with all his heart, but he'd heard about the same seminar four times already, and wasn't interested in doing so again.

His main focus was on the two teenagers who sat in the back. They didn't talk very much anymore, which made sense, Paul reasoned, if they'd spent all their time in Tartarus hiding from monsters, but, still, it was out of character for them, and it made Paul wonder, for what seemed like the billionth time that week, what could have possibly happened to them.

They sat in the back seat; Annabeth leaning against Percy's chest as he absentmindedly curled a strand of her hair around his finger and looked out the window, as if scanning for possible dangers. He always seemed to be doing that now, looking out for trouble. Both still looked pretty terrible. Over the last week, their cuts, scrapes, and bruises had began to heal, but they still looked exhausted and run down, their bodies still much too thin to be healthy. They tried for a smile here and there, when appropriate, but it was always half hearted, and obviously forced. Their eyes still held that dark, shattered look, and when Paul looked into them, he couldn't help wondering if something inside them had broken permanently. _Stop it,_ he told himself, _They'll get better. They'll be fine, _but something in the back of his mind always came back with, _but what if they don't?_ Paul would push these thoughts aside and try to think about something, anything, else.

Paul watched as Annabeth's eyes seemed to grow heavy. She would close her eyes for a few seconds, but then stiffen and snap them open again. It was obvious her body needed sleep, but she was afraid of what came with the sleep, the nightmares. Percy wasn't doing much better.

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They arrived at the cabin late in the afternoon, and Percy carried Annabeth's bag for her as Paul took Sally's. He took the bags to their bedroom, and came back to find Sally in the tiny kitchen, gathering ingredients for dinner. Paul walked in and decided to help her.

When the chicken was in the oven, Paul sat at the kitchen table and gazed out the window at the beach. Percy sat with Annabeth in the sand, just out of the reach of the water, which seemed odd to Paul. He'd never been to the beach with Percy before, but he had a feeling that a son of Poseidon should jump at the chance to be in water. He watched as Percy pulled Annabeth onto his lap, resting his chin on her shoulder. He whispered said something to her, and Annabeth laughed. It was small, barely more than a giggle, but it was the first sign that said that maybe, just maybe, things were starting to get better.

Annabeth leaned in and kissed Percy gently. It wasn't much, but Paul was feeling hopeful, and the sight made him smile. Sally noticed his smile and followed his gaze. Her expression turned hopeful at the sight of her son and her almost- daughter. She glanced at Paul, then at the table.

"How long do you think it will take?" She asked him quietly, as if afraid Percy and Annabeth could hear.

Paul sighed and took his wife's hand. "I don't know, but I do know Percy and Annabeth are the strongest people I know, especially together. They'll get through this. It might not be today. It might not be tomorrow, but, eventually, they'll be fine. I know it," he said with absolute certainty.

Sally glanced at Paul, then out the window again, the beginnings of a smile working at her lips, when the oven timer went off.

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After dinner, Paul had started a small campfire, and the four had sat around it, enjoying the beautiful night, and the cool breeze blowing off the ocean. Annabeth, who was again dozing against Percy, had finally fallen asleep, though Paul wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. Percy sat, staring at the ocean with a conflicted expression, but his eyes seemed lighter in the last light of the day. He seemed more relaxed here, and, just for a moment, that broken tint to his eyes seemed to disappear and he stared at the vast domain of his father.

After a few minutes, Sally broke the silence, "Percy, are you okay?" Percy hesitated, reluctantly tearing his gaze from the sparkling sea to face his mother. He seemed to be trying to formulate an answer.

"I…I don't know." Percy's voice sounded broken. It matched the shattered expression that had returned to his eyes. "I just…" He trailed off, shaking his head mournfully.

"Percy," Sally pleaded, "I hate seeing you like this. What can I do? Just tell me what you need. What- what happened to you? You and Annabeth-"

"Mom, I… I can't. I can't talk about… I can't go back there." Percy closed his eyes tight, and, in the dim light, Paul could see that he was trembling. Sally scooted closer to her son and hugged him, careful not to disturb Annabeth.

"I'm sorry, Percy," she whispered. Percy nodded in response, eyes still closed. Sally held him for a few minutes, until Percy relaxed again. "The water…" She said quietly. Percy sighed and looked out at the ocean again, glittering in the sunset.

"I know," he said, half to himself. He was staring longingly at the water, and Paul wondered why he didn't go in it.

"Percy…" Sally chided, "Go." Percy didn't respond at first. He continued staring at the sea for another minute or two, before shifting his gaze to each of his parents, then to the sleeping girl in his lap. Carefully, he started to get up, obviously planning on bringing Annabeth inside for the night, but Sally must have known what he was planning, because she placed a hand on his shoulder, and pulled Annabeth from him, so she was sitting on the blanket next to her. She leaned Annabeth against herself. "Leave her here," she told Percy, "I don't want the nightmares to come again." Percy gazed at his sleeping girlfriend, then at his mother. He took a deep breath, and directed his gaze back to the ocean. Slowly, he got up and walked toward the water. The first wave washed over his bare feet, causing Percy's gait to falter momentarily, before he proceeded forward, faster than before. He continued forward a few more steps, before turning around. He faced Paul and Sally, with a smile on his face. Not a forced, broken smile, but a genuine, "Percy smile;" the first Paul had seen since he'd been home.

The sunlight was fading fast, but to Paul, it looked like Percy was standing taller than he had all week, and the cuts and scrapes seemed to be healing on their own. He looked almost like he had before disappearing last winter, and it brought a huge smile to Paul's face. He turned to Sally to see the same smile on her's. Paul watched as Percy's head went under. He knew of Percy's ability to breathe underwater, but watching someone go under and stay under was still a bit disconcerting.

A few minutes passed and it was now too dark for Paul to see anything but his wife and Annabeth in the firelight. Sally took his hand and Paul noticed that she looked genuinely happy for the first time since she had seen Percy standing in the living room, and that happiness was short lived. This happiness was caused from hope. She'd seen how the water had affected her son, and she was allowing herself to get her hopes up. Paul just hoped they wouldn't later be crushed.

As Paul and Sally sat there, enjoying each other's company, Annabeth began to stir. Sally tightened her grip on her and held her. Annabeth's eyes snapped open. She'd obviously been having a nightmare. She seemed confused at first, but when she saw it was Sally who held her, she buried her face in her shoulder, and Paul knew she was crying. Sally comforted her. They had grown impossibly close over the months Percy was missing, and it was obvious that Annabeth's transformation hurt her almost as much as Percy's did. Annabeth sat up after a minute, and looked at Sally gratefully before staring at the fire sadly. "I just wish it would stop already," she explained, "I'm… I'm sorry."

Sally placed an arm around Annabeth. "Don't worry, dear. It's fine," she assured her.

Annabeth looked down again, before realizing there were only three of them sitting there. "Where's Percy?" she asked worriedly.

"The ocean," Sally told her, as if she were saying "in the kitchen." Annabeth glanced in the direction of the crashing waves. Her expression turned smug, as if she was happy for something to finally be normal.

A few seconds later, a huge wave washed the beach, clearing the three of them by only a few feet. Standing there, perfectly dry, was Percy, looking better than he'd looked since he'd come home. The broken look had even receded for the moment. His physical injuries seemed to have healed themselves in a matter of minutes, and he looked stronger too. Paul, Sally, and Annabeth stared at him in amazement.

Percy walked to Annabeth, his eyes clouding over again. He knelt next to her. "Do you trust me?" he asked her.

"Of course, I do. Why?" Annabeth answered, with a confused expression on her face.

"I have an idea," Percy told her.

"Okay…"

"Come with me." Annabeth still looked confused, but she leaned over to get her crutches, but before she could, Percy scooped her up and carried her toward the water. Paul and Sally exchanged looks and decided to follow.

As Paul's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could make out Percy gently setting Annabeth in the sand. She eyed him warily. She started to say something, but Percy shushed her. "Just trust me, okay?" he told her. Annabeth nodded. Percy looked at Paul. "Do you have that flashlight with you?" he asked. Paul reached in his pocket and pulled out his car keys, on which, he had a flashlight keychain. He held it out to Percy. Rather than taking it, Percy told him to hold the light over Annabeth's arm, which illuminated the many injuries her skin possessed. Percy scooped up some water and trickled it on her arm. Annabeth winced as the salt water came in contact with the healing wounds, but she kept quiet. Percy concentrated on the water on her arm, and as Paul watched, amazed, the cuts and scrapes which the water came in contact with, started to close up and heal. Annabeth's eyes widened and she looked at Percy, a smile spreading across her face. For a moment, her eyes seemed to lighten, the same way Percy's had.

Percy tore his gaze from Annabeth's arm to look at her face. He seemed to ask her a silent question, to which she simply nodded. Percy scooped her up and carried her into the water. Paul watched with Sally as Percy walked through the waves as if they weren't there, stopping when Annabeth's head was just above the water. Paul realized that Percy must be controlling the ocean, because the waves seemed to part around them as he stood there.

When they came back a few minutes later, Annabeth looked much better, every cut, scrape, and bruise gone. Percy set her down when they reached the beach, and Annabeth stood, carefully placing weight on her ankle, which, a few minutes ago, had been badly broken. It still seemed weak, but she was able to walk on her own, with only a slight limp.

Paul stood with his mouth agape. "How did you do that?' he asked incredulously.

"I spoke to my dad." Percy explained, "He gave me the idea." He smiled at Paul's amazed expression.

Only Sally seemed unfazed by what had just happened. She smiled sweetly."Well, it's getting late, and I'm getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. Let's go inside.

The four of them made their way back to their fire, which was dying down, and gathered their blankets. Percy controlled some ocean water and doused the flame, and they all made their way inside.

Paul examined the two teenagers with newfound interest. Physically, they seemed much better, a little on the skinny side, but light years from where they'd been that morning. Mentally, however, he wasn't so sure. Now that the two were out of the water, their eyes turned shattered again, and they seemed to collapse in on themselves once more, but Paul had seen how that had disappeared tonight, even if only for a few minutes, and it gave him hope.

As they headed off to bed that night, Paul and Sally to one room, Percy and Annabeth to the other, Paul couldn't help feeling optimistic for the two teens. He saw a light at the end of the tunnel, and he knew that, one day, they would reach it. That night, Paul slept with a smile on his face, and with hope in his heart.

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**There you have it! Thanks for reading!**

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	4. The Beginning of Believeing

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**Today's my birthday, so I'm literally posting this as I'm walking out the door, but I'm not going to be home all day, so I wanted to get this up! (See how much I love you guys?) :)**

**Anyway, here's chapter 4! Hope you like it! Please read and review.**

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Paul sat at his desk in his bedroom, looking through the open door, watching the two teenagers before him. It was mid-September, about a month since Percy and Annabeth had returned from Tartarus. The new school year had just started, and Paul had been attempting to grade the first assignments of the year, while Sally was at the store. Attempting, because he had given in to listening to the conversation between the two teenagers across the hall, when he had tried, and failed, to ignore it.

Now he sat, watching as Percy sat in the living room with Annabeth, doing homework. Well, Annabeth was doing homework; Percy was staring blankly at the sheet of paper before him. Paul knew schoolwork was difficult for them, being dyslexic and ADHD, but he'd noticed a long time ago, that Annabeth was much better at controlling it and getting her work done.

When Percy and Annabeth had returned from their quest to stop Gaea, which had, unfortunately, included a trip through hell for the two of them, Paul and Sally had been unsure of whether or not the two would be able to attend school when it started, only a month later. Percy had taken care of the appearance issue at the beach at Montauk by using water to heal both his and Annabeth's physical injuries, but their mental health had still been in question. The two had insisted that they had to go to school, leaving no option of "if," only "where."

Chiron had suggested the teenagers stay at Camp Half Blood for the year, but neither was anxious to be back in the demigod world right away, so Goode High had become the next best option. Sally had been concerned that Percy and Annabeth wouldn't be able to cope with public high school so soon after their ordeal, but the two had insisted they would be fine, and Percy was adamant that he was going to return to the first and only school he'd ever been able to make it more than a year at.

Percy had been kidnapped by Hera and transported across the country in the middle of his sophomore year, and it had collectively feared that he would have to repeat tenth grade, but thanks to Annabeth, Percy had amazingly been able to pass a placement test, and was in his junior year at Goode, along with Annabeth. They'd made it through the first few weeks of school without too much trouble, psychologically, but Paul knew it was only because they were good at hiding what went on inside. He also knew that without the other, neither would be able to make it through each school day.

Now, here they sat in the living room, working on that night's assignments. Paul found it a little ridiculous that, after all Percy and Annabeth had been through and done, they'd have to worry about things as small and insignificant as homework, but was warmed by the fact at the same time. It also seemed, to Paul, that school was helping them heal a small bit, or at least distracting them from the horrible memories that haunted them.

Paul watched as Percy sighed, looking away from the sheet in front of him, and at Annabeth who was scribbling away at her work. She noticed him looking, and slowly looked away from her work, and at him. They sat there, looking at each other, not saying anything. After a few seconds, Annabeth arched her eyebrow inquisitively. Percy looked at her a second longer before he sighed again and held up the homework page.

"How the heck to you do this?" he asked, exasperated. Annabeth examined the paper, a slight smile spreading across her face.

"You're supposed to subtract, not add, to solve for x," she told Percy, handing back what was obviously his math homework. She turned back to her work.

"Then what do you do here?" Percy pressed, pointing to the paper. Annabeth leaned forward, looking at the paper.

"You add instead of subtract."

Percy stared incredulously at his homework. "So you're saying I did all of this wrong, and it would have been right if I swapped the methods?" Percy's voice matched his disbelieving expression.

"Yup," Annabeth replied nonchalantly, without looking up from her work.

"You're kidding me, right?"

"Nope." Percy sighed unhappily and went to work, erasing and rewriting all of the math problems he'd thought he'd finished, while Annabeth put away her completed homework, took out a book, and began to read.

Paul turned to the sound of the door opening, and Sally walking in, with her arms full of grocery bags. He made his way to her, greeting her, and taking most of the bags from her, and followed her toward the kitchen. He heard nothing coming from the living room, as he helped his wife put away the groceries, and assumed that Annabeth was still engrossed in her book, as her boyfriend struggled through math problems.

Paul left Sally to start dinner, and returned to his desk. He graded two papers, before losing interest in the boring work, and letting his eyes wander. They again fell on the couple in the living room, Annabeth reading her book, and Percy leaned over the math sheet.

Paul couldn't help noticing how much healthier the two looked compared to only a month earlier. Percy had taken care of most of the physical ailments a few weeks prior, but the two had still been a sight for sore eyes for a while. Over the past weeks, Percy and Annabeth had filled out their clothes again. They no longer looked like walking skeletons, and Annabeth's limp had healed completely. Their skin had become tanner and less pasty, and their hair had become fuller and regained it's luster. Everything on the outside looked almost back to normal. If you didn't know Percy and Annabeth well, you'd never think anything was wrong.

Paul knew them though, and he could still tell. They smiled more, no longer forcing it, but not as much as before. The once outgoing teenagers were still rather on the sullen and reserved side. These things were getting better, slowly improving, but there was one thing that still gave them away. Their eyes. Their eyes still held some of that shattered glass look. Paul noticed it less often now, but it was still there. Whenever one wasn't with the other, it was there, and when night fell, it was there. When one was having a particularly bad day, or when they were wrapped up in the nightmarish memories, it was there. It was less dominant now. Most of the time, it was just a dark undertone, if it was there at all, but it _was_ still there. Their eyes were the things that Paul couldn't let go of. He wouldn't stop worrying about the two until their eyes didn't hold that look anymore.

Paul was running this through his mind when Percy sat up, and closed his textbooks and announced, "Done!" Annabeth didn't respond, except to turn the page. Percy just stared at her, waiting for her to acknowledge him. After about a minute, his ADHD self couldn't seem to sit there doing nothing any longer. "Annabeth," he called evenly. No response. "Annabeth!" Percy said, a little more forcefully. Still nothing. Finally Percy reached out and grabbed the book from her lap, placed a bookmark in the page, and closed the book, so fast, Paul knew he must have experience in doing so.

"Percy!" Annabeth barked, glaring at him. Percy gave no response, other than to grin crookedly at Annabeth. "Percy! Give it back!" Annabeth scolded. Percy shook his head, placing the book beside him, on the side opposite Annabeth.

"Later," he told her simply. The two seemed to have a staring contest, but Percy had apparently made up his mind, and wasn't backing down. Annabeth made a move toward the book, but Percy was ready for it and caught her, pulling her onto his lap, and tickling her sides. Annabeth giggled hysterically, and squirmed, trying desperately to get away from her boyfriend.

Watching this, Paul had to smile. He realized this was the first time he'd seen the two playing around like this since before Percy's disappearance. He realized that he now lived for moments like that, and seeing it made his spirits soar.

Sally, who must have heard all the commotion, made her way into his view. When she saw the two, she smiled wider than Paul had seen in many months. She laughed softly at the scene before her. Paul met her eyes, and he knew exactly what she was thinking, and it was the same thing he was. There really was hope. They'd been telling themselves this all month, but neither had really believed it until this point. Sure, there had been high points, in which they would share a glance and _try_ to start to believe it, but neither had. Until now. Right now was the beginning of them believing. They'd hoped and prayed, but now they knew, with absolute certainty: Percy and Annabeth were healing. Sure they were still broken inside, and they were learning to cope with the terrible things they'd been through and seen, but they had each other, and together, they were going to do it. They were going to beat this, no matter how long it took, and Paul had never been so happy to have a front row seat.

Sally and he watched for another minute or two, before Sally cleared her throat. Percy and Annabeth froze and looked at her, as if they expected to be scolded, but then they saw the huge smile that was still spread across her face, and they both smiled again, looking a little embarrassed.

"Dinner is ready." Sally announced, before turning back toward the kitchen. Percy stood up and offered Annabeth a hand. He helped her up, and together, they made their way to the kitchen, with Paul following behind.

"Such a seaweed brain," Annabeth whispered, smiling. Percy grinned at her.

Paul had never been so happy to hear Percy's silly nickname. This was the first time he'd heard it in months, and it was like music to his ears. As he walked into the kitchen, he silently thanked the gods for this first real ray of sunshine. He smiled at his wife, with a knowing glint in his eyes, than at Percy and Annabeth, who looked a bit confused, but smiled back.

Paul took his seat, feeling genuinely happy, and looking forward to what was to come.

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**There you have it! Did ya like it? Review and let me know! I love reading them!  
**

**Also, I'm not sure how much farther to go with this story. I have an ideas for like 2 more chapters, but I'm not sure how much farther to go. If you have any ideas, please let me know. You can leave them in a review, or PM me. Thanks for reading! :D**


	5. The Best Dad I've Ever Had

**Here's the next chapter! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I love you guys! **

**This chapter is more about Paul and Percy's relationship as father/son. Please read and let me know what you think! **

**Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine!**

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Paul rolled over in bed for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. He'd tossed and turned for hours, but couldn't seem to fall asleep. Beside him, Sally slept soundly, and for that, Paul was grateful. He glanced at the clock: _2:07am_. With a sigh, he decided to get up and get a glass of water. Maybe then, he'd finally be able to sleep.

Paul made his way through the dark apartment, and into the kitchen. As he poured himself a glass, Paul glanced into the living room, and did a double take. In the darkness, he could make out Percy sitting on the couch, in his pajamas, with his face in his hands. He looked shaken up and exhausted. Paul knew why.

It was late in November, the week of Thanksgiving, and Annabeth's family had insisted that she visit them in San Francisco to celebrate. They didn't know much about the quest to stop the giants, and they certainly didn't know about Tartarus. Needless to say, Annabeth held off going as long as she could, but her family was beginning to get suspicious. Annabeth had left that morning, but Paul knew it wasn't without reservation from both her and Percy. The next few days were going to be hard on both of them. They hadn't been separated since they'd returned home from the quest, and Paul had personally been dreading the day when they would be.

Paul set his glass down on the counter, and walked into the living room. He wanted to sit down next to his stepson, or put a hand on his shoulder, but Paul had learned the hard way, never to catch someone who's been through Tartarus off guard. Paul knew if he got too close to Percy, without the latter knowing it, Paul could end up seriously wounded. So, instead, Paul stood in the doorframe and made his presence known. "You okay, Percy?" he asked quietly.

Percy's head snapped up, and he turned to look at Paul, before relaxing again, and looking at the floor. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," Percy apologized. His voice scared Paul. Over the last few months, Percy and Annabeth were slowly healing from their ordeal, but now, Percy's voice sounded broken, like it had the first week he'd been home.

Paul sat down next to Percy. "You didn't. I was up already," he explained to his stepson. Percy nodded his response rather miserably. They were quiet for a minute. "How're you holding up?" Paul asked finally. Percy glanced at Paul, then back at the floor. He sighed, and shook his head miserably.

Paul put a hand on Percy's shoulder. Percy stiffened, and relaxed again.

"The nightmares…" Percy whispered hoarsely, "They… they're worse when she's not here…" Paul didn't know what to say. He simply nodded his understanding.

Over the last few months, he'd been amazed at the bond Percy and Annabeth shared. He had thought they were close before, but now, it was as if they were each other's life line. Paul knew the love they shared was something so much more than what other kids their age were even remotely capable of. Their love was for real. It was permanent. It went through hell and back and only grew stronger. It was the kind of love that took married adults years to achieve, but Paul knew, without a doubt, that Percy and Annabeth shared that.

Seeing Percy like this hurt Paul more than anything. His heart felt like it was being ripped out. Over the few years he'd known Percy, he'd grown to love him as his own. He wished he knew how to help him, to heal him of the scars that Tartarus had left behind.

"You'll get through this, Percy," Paul told him, "You both will." Percy looked at him, and Paul thought he could see tears in his eyes.

Percy looked straight ahead, with a faraway look in his eyes. He sighed. "When?" he asked. Paul knew he probably didn't mean to sound whiney, but he couldn't blame him. Of all the people in the entire world who had a right to whine, Percy was at the top of the list. Yet, he just didn't. He'd been through so much. He'd stared death in the face more times than Paul even wanted to know. He'd led armies into battle, and watched friends die. He'd literally held the weight of the sky on his shoulders. Percy had every right in the world to complain, but he never did. Paul had never once heard Percy complain about his situation. He didn't like it, Paul knew that, but he accepted it for what it was, and still wore a smile every day, but right now, Percy wasn't smiling, and Paul wanted nothing more than to help him.

Paul took a breath before answering, "I don't know, Percy, but I know you, and you, of all people, can get through this, both of you."

Percy sighed again. "You don't know how much I wish it wasn't always 'me of all people.' How many times, in a day, I wish I could just be normal."

Paul's heart was sinking fast. He'd had some nice conversations with his stepson before, but never like this. He didn't know what to say.

Percy seemed to notice Paul's silence, and apparently took it as a need to explain himself. "I mean… the things I saw down there…" Percy trialed off, closing his eyes tight. Paul gently squeezed his shoulder, and he relaxed again. Percy took a deep, calming, breath, and looked at Paul.

"Percy," Paul began, "I won't pretend to know what you're going through, or what you've been through. I won't tell you that everything will ever be the way it was before your quest, or that you will ever be the same. I won't tell you that it's all okay, because I know it's not, but I will tell you that you will get through it. You're strong, Percy. You and Annabeth, someday, will move past this. I don't know when, and I don't know how, but I know that you will, and I know that I'll be here, every step of the way." Percy seemed to process this. Paul wondered if he believed him, but Paul meant what he'd said.

"Thanks, Paul," Percy said quietly, "I just… I just wish it would stop already." He looked at Paul. "I mean, I wish I could just go one night, without nightmares waking me up every half hour. And that's when Annabeth's there. Without her, I can't even try to sleep. The second I lay down, it's like I'm back in there again… "Percy trailed off, tensing up again.

"So you gave up on sleeping tonight," Paul supplied. Percy nodded miserably.

"I'm worried about Annabeth."

"Have you talked to her at all?"

"IMed her before we went to bed. I'm worried about her…" Percy trailed off, staring at nothing again. Paul sat with him for a few minutes, trying to figure out what to say, when Percy spoke up again. "Paul, you don't have to stay up with me. I'll be fine," Percy told him.

"I don't mind, Perce. I can't sleep anyway," Paul said, but his eyelids were growing heavy.

Percy gave a dry smile. "Join the club." Paul had to smile at his stepson's comment.

"So, are you just not going to sleep for three nights, until Annabeth comes home?"

Percy shrugged. "If it comes to that," he said, "Wouldn't be the first time. I've been up for longer before." Paul couldn't argue with that, so he just nodded thoughtfully.

"What are you going to do, Percy?"

Percy shrugged. "I was thinking I'd call Blackjack, and head over to camp tonight. I could spend the night in the ocean or something." Paul couldn't help smiling at how naturally Percy said this, as if it was the most normal thing in the world, but, he supposed, to Percy, it was. "Are you okay with that?" Percy asked. Paul was strangely warmed by this. Percy was seventeen years old and had saved the world more times than Paul could count on one hand, yet he was asking Paul's permission to fly his Pegasus to camp.

"Are _you_?" Paul replied. Percy took a minute to answer.

"I don't really want to deal with everything there just yet, but I feel like I need to. Who knows, maybe it will help with… you know." Paul nodded that he understood. Percy looked at him. "Will you tell my mom? I don't want her to freak out." Paul nodded, smiling. Percy gave a small smile too.

Percy stood up, and walked into his room. Paul sat on the couch, lost in thought.

A few minutes later, Percy returned, clothed in jeans and a camp T-shirt, with a backpack slung on his back. He leaned against the arm of the couch, while Paul looked up at him, expectantly.

"I called Blackjack," Percy announced. It was obvious he wanted to say more, so Paul waited for him to continue. "I, um… I just wanted to thank you… for everything."

Paul smiled at his stepson. "You're welcome, Percy." Percy nodded.

"I'll be back in a day or two," Percy said, as he began walking toward the hallway, "I'll let you know."

"Okay. Oh, and Percy?" Percy turned to look at Paul, who had stood up from the couch.

"Be safe."

Percy grinned, "No guarantees." He took off down the hall, and into his room, his goal obviously being the fire escape. Paul shook his head, smiling, as he made his way back to his and Sally's room. Right before he walked in, Percy stuck his head out of his bedroom door. "Paul," he called, quietly, "You're the best dad I've ever had."

Paul smiled widely at his stepson, warmth filling his whole being. "Percy, you're the best son I could ask for." Percy's smile matched Paul's as he disappeared back into his bedroom and onto the fire escape.

Paul got into bed, and, this time, he had no trouble falling asleep.

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**There it is! What did you think?**

**Okay, so I have a question for you guys. I'm thinking about writing about Percy's experience at camp to go along with this chapter. If I put it in this story, I would have to change the POV, and I don't know if I really want to do that, because the rest is Paul's and I really love Paul's character and I feel like he is looked over in the books and in a lot of fanfiction.**

**The other option is I can write it as a one shot to go along with this story, but it would be separate. I'm leaning more toward this option, but I want to know what you guys think. Please either review or PM me and let me know what you think I should do. **

**Thanks for reading! I love you all! You're amazing! **


	6. Together Again

**Here's chapter six! THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed! I'm happy you guys like this story so much!**

**PLEASE READ! Now, last chapter, I left it up to you guys on whether or not I should write Percy's camp experience as a chapter for this story, or as separate one-shot. Almost everyone agreed that it should be a one-shot. SOOOO... I wrote a one shot!It's called First Day Back, and warning, it's really long! I almost made it into a two-shot, but it flowed better if I kept it all together. So, make sure you check it out! (After you read chapter 6, of course!)  
**

**Please R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO!**

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Paul had never seen someone so anxious for a plane to land. He sat in a chair, next to his wife, Sally, watching his stepson pace back in forth in front of them. It was late, after midnight. Annabeth had caught a redeye flight from San Francisco International Airport, to JFK, and her flight was supposed to have been on the ground ten minutes ago.

Sally had given up trying to get her son to calm down and sit down. Percy was too busy pacing and staring at the terminal exit to listen. Paul couldn't say he blamed him. Annabeth had been gone for three days, visiting her family in California, during the week they had off school for Thanksgiving, and Paul knew that neither of them had gotten any sleep since. Now, for a normal teenage relationship, three days apart would not be a big deal, and would even be considered healthy, but Percy and Annabeth were about as far from normal as they come.

Percy had returned from camp late that morning, and, aside from being exhausted, he looked pretty good, considering. Camp seemed to have helped with everything. It had at least taken his mind off things. It was a much needed escape, and Percy had been in a pretty good mood all day.

Right now, however, his mood was not so good. He was frustrated with the delayed flight, and his lack of sleep probably wasn't helping matters.

Paul glanced at his watch, _12:42am._ Annabeth's flight was supposed to land at 12: 30. It really was late.

Suddenly, the doors leading from the terminal opened, and a crowd of people poured out. Paul watched as Percy scanned the faces. The people kept filing through, when Percy suddenly froze. He seemed to have forgotten about every other person in the airport. He surged forward. Paul looked in the direction he was running, and saw Annabeth running toward Percy. She jumped into his arms, hugging him with all her might. Percy spun her around, a huge smile on his face, and his bad mood forgotten.

Paul turned to Sally, who was watching the reunion with an ear to ear smile spread across her face, and tears in her eyes.

Percy put Annabeth back on the floor, and kissed her gently. They were drawing a crowd, but neither one seemed to care. It was as if they were the only two people on the planet. The rest seemed to disappear. They simply held each other close, as if their lives depended on it.

After another minute of hugging, Percy took Annabeth by the hand and led her over to where Paul was standing with Sally. Paul watched, still smiling, as his wife hugged Annabeth, and then hugged her himself. Most of the passengers from Annabeth's flight had already left the lobby area, and, with it being close to 1am, there weren't many people left around.

Annabeth had grabbed Percy's hand again, and the two seemed ready to go home. They both looked exhausted, and Paul knew that they needed as much sleep as they could get tonight.

"Alright," Paul said, "Let's go home."

"Let's," Annabeth agreed with a smile.

The family made their way through the airport, and out to the parking lot. They climbed into Paul's Prius, and Paul pulled out.

Not five minutes later, Paul glanced in his rearview mirror, and had to smile. Percy and Annabeth sat in the back seat, Annabeth with her head on Percy's shoulder, while Percy leaned his head against hers. He had one arm around her, the other interlaced in her fingers. Both were sound asleep.

"Look at them," Paul quietly told Sally. She glanced behind her and smiled lovingly at Percy and Annabeth's sleeping figures.

"Good," Sally said, "They need to sleep."

Paul nodded thoughtfully. "It's like they complete each other," he said after a minute.

"They love each other so much, they probably do. I mean, they've been through so much together. You can't find love like that just anywhere."

"Well they've definitely found it," Paul said, and after a pause added, "and so have I."

Sally smiled at her husband, and Paul took her hand. The rest of the drive home was quiet. Paul made his way through New York City streets, enjoying the company of his wife, and the rest of his new, mostly sleeping, family, and as he thought about it, he realized he included Annabeth as part of the family. Paul figured she was. It was pretty much given that Percy and she would get married some day, now more than ever. It just seemed right. He loved Annabeth; even from the short time he'd known her. He thought of her as a daughter, and couldn't wait for the day when it would be official.

Whatever the future held, Paul decided, he was going to enjoy the here and now. His family was together, happy, and mostly healthy; Percy and Annabeth were getting closer to it every day. The thought made him smile again. He thanked the gods for each and every one of them, and hoped things would, for once, stay peaceful, so Percy and Annabeth could have their "happily ever after," just like Paul had his.

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**Hate it, Like it, Love it? Review and let me know! Sorry this one was a little shorter than normal, but I really waned to write the reunion scene. :D Hope you liked it!  
**


	7. A smile and a Picture

**Here's chapter 7. I hate to say it's not my best, but I needed some filler chapters, and this seemed like a good idea at the time.**

**Anyway, Please read and review. Hope you like it!**

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It had been a year. One year since Percy had first disappeared.

School had let out for winter break yesterday, but Percy and Annabeth had decided to stay at home for it this year. They were out right now, taking a walk through Central Park, just the two of them. They apparently wanted to make the most of their time off this year, since it had been so rudely interrupted by a certain goddess last year. Paul couldn't blame them.

He sat in the living room, trying to decide what to get his wife, Sally, for Christmas, which happened to be in two days. He knew he should have gotten to this a lot sooner, but there he was, time running out, and he still had no idea what to get her.

Sally sat at her desk, typing away on her computer, probably working on the novel she was writing. Paul smiled. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him. She made his life complete. What on earth could he possibly get her that could portray his love like that? He should have known this would happen. It always did, but there he sat, just like last year, and the year before, in the same exact predicament. _Next year,_ he told himself,_ I'm doing my Christmas shopping in June._

Paul's thoughts were interrupted by the door flying open. He turned to see Annabeth, with a barely conscious Percy leaning on her for support. Paul watched, frozen, as she struggled under the weight of her boyfriend, who, evidently wasn't doing so great. She, herself, looked about to pass out. Both were covered in cuts and bruises. Percy had a fairly large gash in his arm, exposed by a ripped off sleeve of his coat, and decent amount of blood on his shirt, which was disconcerting, to put it mildly. Annabeth had a black eye, and what looked like a slight limp, but it could have just been from lugging Percy all that way.

Finally, it seemed to click in Paul's brain that he had to do something. He shot up from the couch, and over to Annabeth.

"What happened?" he demanded of her, but didn't wait for an answer, draping Percy's arm over his shoulders, and leading him to the couch. He laid his stepson down, as gently as possible.

"Sally!" Paul called frantically. He was surprised she hadn't heard all the commotion, and come out to see what was going on yet, but she could get really into her writing, and tended to block out the whole world. "SALLY! GET IN HERE!" Paul needed her. She was much better at dealing with these situations than he was. Sure, he'd been part of the world of gods, demigods, and monsters for quite a few years now, but he still wasn't great when it came to things like this, and was terrified of doing something wrong.

Annabeth tried to make her way over to Percy, but she didn't make it halfway across the room, before passing out, and falling to the floor.

Sally walked into the living room. "What's the- Oh gods!" She ran over to her son, shoving Paul out of the way. "What happened?" she demanded.

"I don't know!" Paul told her, rather franticly.

Sally held two fingers against Percy's neck, obviously searching for a pulse.

"Get nectar and ambrosia, NOW!" she yelled to Paul. He took off into the kitchen. He opened the cabinet in the corner of the kitchen. He'd never been in that cabinet, but he'd seen Percy in it enough times, and knew what to look for. He grabbed the godly food and drink, along with some first aid supplies, which he figured would come in handy. He ran back into the living room. He tossed the supplies to Sally. "Annabeth," she comanded, as she went to work on Percy's injuries, but Paul was already there.

He lifted the demigod off the floor, and placed her in the nearest armchair. He practically stuffed ambrosia down her throat, careful to only give a small amount. He'd heard what too much could do, and he really didn't want his almost- daughter spontaneously combusting. Annabeth groaned, and began to stir. Paul sighed in relief, releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding.

Paul went to work, trickling nectar on the more serious looking injuries, most of which, he noticed, were beginning to heal on their own, from the ambrosia. He noticed a fairly large bump on her right temple, and worried about a concussion, but slowly Annabeth opened her eyes, blinking confusedly.

After another few minutes, Annabeth was awake, and Percy was beginning to stir. Sally stepped away from her son, and listened as Annabeth explained.

"We were walking back," she explained weakly, "when two Laistrygonians and a hellhound showed up. They caught us off guard. We hadn't been attacked since we got back from… _that place._ This was the first time. We managed to kill them, but the hellhound clawed Percy pretty bad. He was trying to protect me, and turned away…" She trailed off, shaking her head angrily, "I'm gonna kill him," she summed up.

"What happened? How'd I get here? And why are you going to kill me?" Percy asked groggily from the couch. He tried to sit up, but gave up, wincing. Paul and Sally had been paying so much attention to Annabeth, they hadn't noticed that Percy had started to wake up.

"Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said. She shook her head at her boyfriend, but she was obviously relieved. She stood up, a little wobbly, and made her way over to the couch. She sat on the arm, looking down at Percy, suddenly serious again. "You could have died, Percy. I told you I was fine."

"And I didn't believe you," Percy said easily, as if almost getting killed by psychotic monsters was an everyday occurrence for him, which Paul realized, it kind of was. Percy grinned crookedly at Annabeth, while she glared at him.

"Didn't you have ambrosia and nectar with you?" Sally asked, interrupting the silent staring contest the young couple was having at the moment. Annabeth looked at her, shaking her head.

"Like I said, this was the first attack since the quest. We weren't expecting it," Annabeth trailed off, scolding herself, "Stupid. I'm so _stupid!_"

"Hey. Don't be so hard on yourself, Annabeth. It's not your fault," Percy told her. Annabeth just shook her head miserably. Percy took her hand.

"Percy's right, dear. You couldn't have known," Sally said, trying to comfort Annabeth, who just shook her head again. Sally sighed, giving up, and turned to scan the mess strewn across the floor. She shook her head slightly, and began cleaning the bandages, bloody clothes, and other first aid supplies, which littered the living room.

Paul began to follow suit, but stopped when he noticed Annabeth standing up, wincing, and attempting to also help.

"Annabeth," Paul scolded, "Sit down and rest. We've got it."

"Paul, I'm-" she began to protest, but Paul cut her off.

"You were unconscious a few minutes ago, and you've probably got a concussion, judging from that knot on your head." He took Annabeth's arm, and led her back to the couch, where Percy had made room for her. "Just rest for a bit, its fine. " Annabeth eyed Paul, but sighed and gave in.

"Okay. Thanks Paul," she said quietly. Paul smiled and resumed helping his wife clean up the mess. He followed her into the kitchen to discard the trash. When they were done, Sally plopped herself down on a kitchen chair, put her head in her hands, and took a deep, calming breath. Paul walked over and hugged her from behind.

"You okay?" Paul asked her. Sally took another deep breath and nodded.

"Just shaken up," she answered quietly, almost too softly for Paul to hear. Paul pulled back and sat down next to her, sliding the chair closer to hers, and turning it to face her. Paul grabbed her hand.

"They'll be okay. You did great back there. You always do," he reassured her quietly. Sally was quiet for a minute.

"You'd think I'd be used to it by now," she said finally, "Of him almost dying all the time. I was just being stupid, thinking that they'd be able to forget about being demigods and just be normal for once, even after all they've been through."

"Sally, you couldn't have known. Even Annabeth wasn't expecting it."

"That's why I should have! I'm his mother. I should have expected it!"

"They're okay. It's over. There's nothing you can do about it now, but please don't beat yourself up over this. You know for next time, and so do they. Percy and Annabeth are safe now. They'll be fine." Sally didn't respond. She just stared at the tabletop, blinking tears out of her eyes. Paul could hear talking coming from the living room.

"-thinking, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth was asking. She sounded rather annoyed.

"Annabeth," Percy responded, "The other one was coming after you from behind. If I didn't do something, it would have been bad."

"How much worse could it have gotten? You almost died! I wasn't sure that you hadn't at first!"

"I'd rather it be me than you, Annabeth," Percy responded, sounding surprisingly calm, given the circumstances and how angry his girlfriend sounded at the moment. After a few seconds of silence, Annabeth spoke up again, quiet this time. Paul could barely hear her response.

"I can't live without you, Percy." She sounded close to tears. There was a rustle, and the old couch creaked, and Paul assumed Percy had pulled Annabeth into his arms.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm here, and I'm okay. You're okay. We're okay. Everything's okay," he comforted her quietly, and Paul had a feeling Percy was talking about more than just what had happened that afternoon. "And for the record, I can't live without you either," Percy said, after a few seconds of quiet.

Paul found himself smiling at the beauty of the conversation going on between the two teenagers in the other room. He already knew that Percy would give his life to save Annabeth's, heck, he'd purposely fallen into Tartarus with her, but hearing him say it like that, amazed Paul all over again. He looked at Sally, and saw she looked happier too, her lips pulling up slightly at the corners.

"I love you, Percy," Paul heard Annabeth say from the other room.

"I love you too," Percy replied, "Forever." There was quiet after that. Paul squeezed Sally's hand, and she looked up at him. She had tears in her eyes, but Paul could tell it was no longer from the monster attack.

"My little boy's growing up," she said quietly, sighing.

Paul pulled his wife close, and held her. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he buried his face in her hair. "I love you," he told her, his voice slightly muffled by her hair.

"I love you too, Paul… so much."

A few minutes later, Paul and Sally walked into the living room and found Percy and Annabeth asleep on the couch, arms wrapped around each other. Paul just smiled at them, while Sally took a picture.

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**There you have it. Hope you liked it, even if I didn't. **

**Reviews appreciated! If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them. Feel free to review or PM me!**

**Thanks! :)**


	8. Not so Bad, After All

**First, I want to thank everyone who reviewed, not only last chapter, but at all during this story! Thank you! I love, love, LOVE you guys and I love reading them! You guys are great! :D**

**Also, 61 REVIEWS! Y'all are _amazing! _**

**Anyway, enough of that. Here's chapter 8! I enjoyed writing this chapter! I love the Percy/Paul father-son moments. They're fun to write. (Hint. Hint.)**

**Please R&R! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO charaters! I always forget to say that!**

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Paul slid his key into the door of his apartment. He'd had a meeting after work, so he was late coming home. It was a Friday night in mid- January, and it had been a long week. Paul was tired, cold, and looking forward a restful weekend. Sally was away at a writing seminar, and wouldn't be home until the following afternoon, and Paul was looking forward to the movie night he had planned with Percy and Annabeth.

Paul's hopes died when he opened the door and stepped inside, only to be immediately met with yelling coming from the room at the end of the hallway: Percy's (and Annabeth's) room.

"You're impossible!" Annabeth was yelling, Paul assumed, at Percy.

"Annabeth, come on!" Percy pleaded, "I'm sorry, but you're being ridiculous."

"_I'm_ being ridiculous?! _You're_ the one being ridiculous!"

"Annabeth, I-"

"Percy, forget it, okay? Forget it!"

By this time, Paul had made his way into the living room, listening to the argument coming from the other room. He had no idea what was going on, and what he'd heard hadn't been exactly helpful in allowing him to figure it out. Paul had never heard Percy and Annabeth fight like this before. Sure, they'd bickered here and there, mostly before Percy had gone missing, but it had always been on a smaller scale, and was resolved quickly. This was something new entirely.

From where Paul stood, dumbfounded by the unusual event, he could see Annabeth storm down the hallway, unaware of his presence, pull on a coat, and leave the apartment. Paul sighed, and decided he'd better see what was going on. He walked to Percy's room, and knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" Percy called. He sounded pretty upset.

"It's Paul. Everything okay?" Paul called through the closed door. A few seconds later, the door opened. Percy stood before him, looking the worst Paul had seen in months. He looked like he'd just come back from Tartarus all over again.

"Hey," Percy said dully, before turning and sitting down on his bed, putting his head in his hands. Paul took this as his invitation to come in. He pulled Percy's desk chair over, and sat down in front of his stepson.

"Are you okay?" Paul asked. It sounded stupid, and shallow. Of course he wasn't okay. Percy shook his head, which was still in his hands. "Do you want to talk about it?" Paul knew he probably didn't. If he were in Percy's shoes, he wouldn't, but Paul figured he should try anyway.

Percy sighed and looked at Paul, then down at the floor by Paul's feet. He was quiet for a few minutes. Paul wondered if he should just leave him be.

"I don't even know what happened," Percy said finally. He sounded defeated. "One minute everything was fine, and then the next…" Paul opened his mouth to speak, but Percy continued, "We were just talking, trying to do homework, Annabeth's idea, and then, the next thing I know, she's screaming at me! I never even figured out what it was she was yelling about…"

"Maybe she's just having a bad day," Paul reasoned. In reality, he had no idea what he was doing. Paul knew nothing about teenage girls, never mind demigod ones. Why was Sally always gone when he needed her? Percy sighed again and shook his head.

"I can tell when it's a bad day. I know how to make those better," Percy answered. He paused for a few seconds. "Do you know this is the first time we've fought since the quest?" Paul knew what that meant: the first time since Tartarus. The two still were unable to even speak the name. Paul took a deep breath. He had no idea what to say to that. He decided to focus on the first part of his stepson's statement.

"Percy," Paul began, "Nobody's perfect. It will be okay." He didn't know what else to say. Gods, he was horrible at this. Percy just shook his head. He met Paul's eyes, and he looked to be near tears.

"Paul, she's never yelled at me like that before. We've never fought that badly. Never..."

"You'll get through this, Percy. This happens to everyone at one point or another, trust me, I've been there. It could have been something you said or did, or something you didn't when you were supposed to. You may never know. It's hard, I know, and it sucks, but it will be okay. You _will _get through this." Percy met Paul's eyes. He looked frantic and panicked, which pretty out of character for him, but Paul figured that if he were in Percy's position, he would be too. Thinking about it, Paul probably had looked like that after the first real fight he and Sally had had.

"What if we don't? I can't sleep at night without her, Paul. I can't live without her. I love her!" Paul couldn't help but be impressed with how Percy argued his love for Annabeth. He was pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to do that when he was seventeen.

"Percy," Paul began, trying to calm his stepson down, "Do you honestly think, after all you two have been through, that one fight is going to break you and Annabeth up?" Percy just shrugged, so Paul continued. "What you two have is special. The love you share takes most _married adults_ years to achieve. You have been through more together, than probably any other living people on earth. You're willing to die for her, just as she is for you. You do everything together. You've saved each other's lives more times than either of you can count. You purposely fell into _hell_ with her, Percy." Percy winced at this, but Paul was on a role now, and kept going. "Do you think just anyone would do that? And when you came out of there, the only way either of you could stay sane was by having the other. The only reason you two have made it this far is because you have each other. The only way you can sleep at night is wrapped in each other's arms, and the only way you can get through each day is by knowing the other is safe. Do you really think something that strong can be ruined by one disagreement?" Paul finished his rant, looking carefully at his stepson.

"I guess not," Percy responded quietly.

"I didn't think so."

"…So what do I do now?"

"Do you know where she went?" Paul asked quietly. Percy seemed to think for a minute, before nodding.

"She probably went to camp. There's nowhere else for her to go."

"And what do you think you should do, Percy?" The demigod looked back up from the floor, with a new kind of confidence in his eyes.

"I need to talk to her," he said, sounding like the Percy Paul had come to know and love, "and tell her I love her." Paul smiled at his stepson.

"Go get her, Percy. Good luck," Paul said, standing to leave. Percy stood up too, and smiled at Paul.

"Thanks, dad." Percy said, and man-hugged Paul, who smiled widely.

"No, problem, Percy. Any time." He turned and left the room as Percy grabbed a coat, stepped out onto the fire escape, and whistled for Blackjack. As Paul walked into the kitchen, smiling the whole time, he couldn't help thinking that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't so bad at this whole parenting thing after all.

* * *

The next morning, as Paul sat at the kitchen table, sipping coffee, and reading the newspaper, he heard the front door open. Paul got up from his chair, and walked into the hallway. There, standing in the open doorway, was Percy, his arm around Annabeth. The events from the day before seemed long forgotten as Percy leaned down and kissed Annabeth sweetly.

After a few seconds, Paul cleared his throat, but he was smiling. The two flew apart, looking at Paul and turning red.

"I take it everything is okay now?" Paul asked, grinning. Percy smiled and nodded once, while Annabeth stared at her shoes.

"Breakfast, anyone?" Paul asked. Percy shut the door, grabbed Annabeth's hand, and led her toward the kitchen. Paul followed them in. As Percy pulled a chair out for Annabeth, he glanced at Paul and mouthed "Thank you." Paul winked, still smiling, and returned to his seat, picking up his newspaper, and resumed reading, while Percy prepared cereal for two.

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**Done! Did you like it? Let me know! I LOVE reviews! **

**Until the next chapter.**

**:)**


	9. As Long As I'm With You

**Chapter 9! This chapter was fun to write. Enjoy! :)**

**Diclaimer: PJO is not mine!**

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Paul sat at the kitchen table, sipping coffee. It was a Saturday morning, around 8am. Percy and Annabeth were still sleeping, and the apartment was quiet. Paul watched as Sally started breakfast, gathering the ingredients to make her infamous blue waffles. Paul shook his head, smiling, as she pulled out the blue food coloring. At first, the blue food had seemed weird to Paul. Why would someone go out of their way to eat blue? Then, he'd heard the story of Gabe and the origins of the colored food, and Paul couldn't help admiring Sally even more.

Paul took another sip from his coffee cup, the hot liquid warming him to the bone. It was early February, the coldest time of the year in New York. He glanced out the kitchen window, and noticed snow falling lightly on the frozen city.

Paul watched his wife prepare breakfast for a few minutes, and couldn't help feeling like the luckiest man alive. He loved her with all his heart. She made him whole. Not only was she the best thing that had ever happened to him, but she had Percy, whom Paul hadn't been sure of at first, but had grown to love like his own son. Sally was his everything. They'd only been married for a few short years, but Paul couldn't imagine his life without her. He was content, to say the least, completely satisfied with how his life had turned out.

Paul thought about this, a smile on his face, as Sally took the first waffles off the iron, and placed them on a plate, which she set down before Paul. She noticed his expression, and met it with a smile of her own.

"What?" she asked, as she sat down across from him.

Paul shook his head, still smiling. "Nothing," he said, "I'm just happy."

Sally chuckled once before replying. "Okay," she said lightly, and started to get back up to serve herself, when Paul grabbed her arm and pulled her back down.

"Sit. Let me serve you for once." Sally narrowed her eyebrows slightly, but her smile didn't waver.

"Paul, you don't have to-"

"I want to. Just humor me." Paul stood up, and began putting together Sally's breakfast. Just as he placed it before her, Percy walked in, clad in a T-shirt and pajama pants.

"Good morning," Sally greeted her son, "You're up early." Paul glanced at the clock, _8:22._ It really wasn't that early, but Percy and Annabeth didn't usually get up until around nine on the weekends. They normally got up together. Sally must have also noticed this fact, because she asked, "Where's Annabeth?"

"She's still sleeping," Percy replied. Sally nodded, but her expression asked for more information. "I couldn't sleep anymore, and I didn't want to wake her up." Percy sat down next to Sally.

"Hungry?" Paul asked, still standing.

"Always," Percy replied, grinning. Paul smiled and put a plate together for his stepson.

Over the last few months, Percy and Annabeth had seemed to break through some of the chains Tartarus had left on them. They had started to act more like themselves again. It was a slow process, _very_ slow, but they were definitely healing. The fact that Percy had felt comfortable enough to leave Annabeth asleep alone this morning drove this point home even more. Paul now found himself treasuring every goofy remark or joke that came from the two. Each time he heard one, he was reminded that they were, in fact, healing. They really were improving, and hopefully, one day, they would be able to get past it altogether.

"So, Percy," Paul said, resuming his seat and taking another sip of coffee, "How are you this morning?"

"I'm pretty good, Paul. How about you?" Percy replied lighty. He had to be one of the happiest teenagers Paul had ever seen at eight in the morning on a Saturday, but that was Percy, and Paul was happy he seemed so normal again.

"I'm great," Paul answered, before taking a bite of waffle, which was, surprisingly, still pretty warm. Percy's demeanor had Paul's hopes high. He knew he shouldn't get too optimistic too quickly. What Percy and Annabeth had gone through down there had left them damaged in more ways than one. There were still bad days every now and then, where that dark, broken look would make a comeback. Oh, how Paul hated that broken glint in their eyes. Most days, Percy and Annabeth could go an entire day without it. Usually, it only showed up when a reference to something that reminded them of Tartarus was made, but even then, it would only last a few minutes at most. However, every so often, a bad day would come along, where one would be wrapped up in bad memories, and both were affected. Paul hated those days, but he was grateful that they were occurring less and less all the time. He knew the healing process was a waiting game, and, as much as he absolutely despised it sometimes, Paul was waiting it out.

"Any plans for today, Percy?" Sally asked, breaking Paul's reverie.

Percy swallowed before answering. "I don't know. Annabeth's been bugging me about taking her to some local museum. Apparently they have a new exhibit on Greco-Roman art. Maybe I'll finally take her." Sally smiled lovingly at her son.

"You really love her, don't you?" she asked.

Percy looked dumbfounded. "Of course," he told her. "Is it not obvious?" Paul was amazed at how easily he admitted it. He, himself, still had trouble doing this. He knew that a year ago, Percy would have been embarrassed by such a question, and would've turned into a blushing, stuttering mess. Apparently though, a trip through hell really helps determine your feelings for someone. Who knew? Sally just smiled wider, and Paul noticed a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Oh, it is. I just hope you know I'm expecting a wedding announcement in a few years." She replied easily. Percy's eyes widened. He froze with his fork midway to his mouth.

"W-what?" he stuttered.

"Well, you are planning on marrying her at some point, are you not?

"W-well, yeah, but, what's the rush? Of course I'm gonna marry Annabeth someday, but, mom, I'm seventeen!"

"I know that. That's why I said 'in a few years,' Sally explained simply.

"Mom, stop! You sound like Aphrodite! That's not a good thing!"

"I'm kidding, Percy, I'm kidding. Calm down." Percy stared at his mom strangely for a minute before going back to his breakfast. After a minute, Sally added, "But don't wait too long, Percy. I can't wait to be a grandma." Percy started choking on his waffles.

Paul couldn't help feeling a little sorry for him. The poor kid was just trying to eat his breakfast, and, instead, was being grilled about marriage. At the same time though, Paul was greatly enjoying himself, trying to hide his amusement, and probably failing. He had a feeling this was the last time Percy would get up and leave Annabeth still sleeping.

"Mom!" Percy half yelled when he could talk again. Sally held her hands up in surrender, a smile still playing on the edges of her lips.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I'll stop now," she promised. Percy visibly relaxed, and, cautiously, went back to his food.

After a few minutes of pointless conversation, Annabeth walked in, also in pajamas.

"Morning," she greeted no one in particular, sitting in the chair next to Percy.

"Hey, Sleepy Head," Percy told her with a grin.

"Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said, trying not to smile herself.

"The one and only," Percy replied, smiling wider. Annabeth rolled her eyes playfully at her boyfriend. Paul watched the exchange with a smile on his face. Both seemed to be in pretty good moods this morning. He'd forgotten that he was the one serving breakfast that morning, until Sally set a plate down in front of Annabeth, who thanked her, and began cutting a waffle.

Fifteen minutes later, the demigods had finished their food, and went to get ready for the day. Sally began the dishes, and Paul helped.

"You know, that's the last time Percy will ever get up early again," Paul said, smiling, as he dried a freshly washed plate. Sally chuckled.

"I'm his mom. It's my job to harass him a little," she said with a smile, than added, "I'm just glad he's happy."

A few minutes later, Percy emerged, freshly showered. Annabeth followed a few minutes later. They sat down in the living room, while Paul and Sally finished up with the dishes.

"So, you know that museum you've been wanting to go to? The one with the new exhibit?" Paul heard Percy ask Annabeth from the other room.

"Yeah," Annabeth answered.

"You wanna go today?" Percy asked casually.

"Really?" Annabeth asked excitedly.

"Yeah," Percy answered, and added, "But only if we get lunch after."

Annabeth chuckled. "Okay, Seaweed Brain."

There was quiet for a minute, before finally, "You know, I'd love to sit here kissing you all day, but if we want to beat the crowds, we'd better go," Percy told her.

"I know you don't like museums, Percy," Annabeth said. It sounded like she had stood up.

"If you're there, I'll be okay."

"That was so cheesy."

"No, that was the truth." Annabeth laughed.

Just as Paul put the last dish away, Percy walked into the kitchen, Annabeth in tow.

"We're gonna get going," he announced, "See you in a few hours."

"Have fun," Sally said.

"Thanks mom," Percy said, kissing her cheek. "Bye, Paul."

"Bye," Paul said, and added with a smile, "Be good."

"Always," Percy replied, also smiling. Annabeth said goodbye, and they were about to leave.

"Be safe, Percy," Sally added.

"We will, mom. Promise." Percy said, and left. A minute later, the door closed, and Paul and Sally were alone in the apartment.

Paul sat down with Sally at the kitchen table.

"So, what's the plan for today?" he asked her.

"I have to run to the grocery store. Want to come?" she asked.

"Anything for you," Paul replied, with a smile on his face. He didn't much like grocery shopping, but he'd go if it made her happy, the same way Percy was going to a museum right now with Annabeth, despite not liking it. As long as he was going with Sally, his dislike of the task wouldn't matter.

A few minutes later, Paul was following his wife out into the cold February air. He grabbed her hand, and, together, they made their way through the city streets, snow swirling lightly all around them.

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**So? Did ya like it? Haha, I love Sally and Percy's easy relationship, and I thought it would be fun to have her have a little fun with him. Good, right? Right?**

**Anyway, review and let me know what you thought. As always, THANK YOU to those who reviewed last chapter. I love you all! :)**


	10. Happy Birthday After All

**77 followers and 56 favorites?! You guys ROCK! Also, 69 reviews total for this story! THANK YOU ALL SOOOO MUCH!**

**So this chapter is a little sad, but it all works out in the end, I promise! It's nice and long, cause I love you all so much!**

**Please R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO characters, or anything else!**

**Enjoy! :D**

* * *

Paul and Sally walked the city streets, holding hands. It was a Friday night, but the sidewalks weren't very crowed, considering. They were on their way back from dinner. It was Sally's birthday, and Paul had taken her out for the night. Paul had suggested they all come, but Percy had insisted that his mom and Paul go alone, while he and Annabeth stayed at home.

The couple had gone for a walk in Central park, and then out to dinner. Now, they were on their way home, talking, laughing, and just enjoying the company of the other.

"Thank you for dinner, Paul," Sally said. Paul put an arm around her waist, pulling her close. She rested her head against his shoulder.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you had fun," he replied.

"Mmm," Sally murmured, snuggling even closer to her husband, "I did. I love you, Paul. So much."

"I love you too. Happy birthday, Sal-," Paul was interrupted by a loud crash nearby. They were almost to their apartment now.

"What was that?" Sally asked, pulling away from Paul, and glancing around nervously. The few others who were on the streets were doing the same.

Paul grabbed Sally's hand again, and was about to continue walking, when there was another crash, and something flew past the couple, and into the alley across the street from them. Strangely though, the other New Yorkers didn't seem to take any notice of that. In fact, they all were heading away from the scene. Faster than seemed possible, Paul and Sally were alone. The weird thing was, Paul almost felt the need to leave too, but he restrained himself from doing so.

The crashing and banging continued, and, suddenly, Paul and Sally stood in front of what had to be the most heinous creature Paul had ever seen. It was big and scaly, but it seemed foggy, out of focus, and he couldn't quite make it out. The Mist. It was obstructing his view. He could see more clearly through it now, since he knew the truth about demigods, but not clearly enough. What Paul could see clearly, however, was a wave of blonde curls whipping in and out of sight, around the monster. Annabeth.

That meant that that thing that had flown past them, into that alley, wasn't a thing at all. It was Percy! Paul was sure of it. He took off toward the alley, but, before he even made it to the street, Percy came running out, sword in hand, charged across the street, and past his parents.

"Paul! Mom!" Percy yelled, "Get out of here!" Paul looked at Sally, and it was clear that neither of them had any intention of doing that. Not while Percy and Annabeth were fighting that… whatever it was. So, instead they stood there, watching in horror, as the demigods went to work. Paul had seen Percy and Annabeth fight monsters before. Heck, he was at the final Battle of Manhattan during the Titan war, but this… this was not going well.

The monster thrashed, shook, and spewed green goo that disintegrated the sidewalk, where it landed. Percy distracted the monster from the front, while Annabeth, who'd apparently put on her Yankees cap, went in for the kill, invisible. It seemed to be going well for a while. Percy only almost died eleven times in the five minutes or so it had been which, Paul figured, was pretty good for him. In all actuality though, Paul was horrified, frozen in place, with wide eyes. Sally didn't look much better. She had tears in her eyes and a terrified expression on her face.

Suddenly, the monster jolted upward, and almost landed on Percy, which would have effectively turned Paul's stepson into a Percy Pancake. Luckily, Percy was quick on his feet, and rolled to the side, dodging the monster by mere inches. That was the good part.

The bad part was the girl flying through the air above Paul's head. Annabeth. Her cap must have been knocked off in the fight. She flew through the air, smashing into a building, and falling to the ground. Paul winced, his heart in his throat. That couldn't have been good for her, demigod or not. Sally gasped, and took off toward her, Paul following at her heels.

"ANNABETH!" Percy yelled. Paul turned, not watching where he was running, and watched as Percy eyed the beast with a new angry fire in his eyes. It was obvious, it was personal now.

Paul made his way to Annabeth, and it didn't look good. She was pale and bloody. She had a large gash across her chest, and her eyes were rolled back in her head. Sally cradled the injured girl against her chest, with tears in her eyes.

Percy charged the beast, yelling the scariest battle cry Paul had ever had the displeasure to behold. He fought like a demon, and, in no time, the monster had burst into a disgusting mixture of golden dust and green goo.

In no time, Percy was at Annabeth's side, digging through his pockets. He pulled out a flattened, crumpled square of ambrosia and stuffed it into the other demigod's mouth, making her chew and swallow it. Paul couldn't tell if anything was happening or not. There was so much blood…

Percy cradled his girlfriend's broken form, crying openly. "Is she…?" he asked his mother. Sally just shrugged helplessly.

"It doesn't look good, Percy," she said in barely a whisper.

"No," Percy cried, "No, no, no, no, no! Annabeth! No! Come on, Annabeth! Please!"

Paul put a hand on his stepson's shoulder, "Percy." Percy shrugged him off and continued begging for Annabeth to wake up.

"Annabeth, sweetheart, I love you. Do you know that? I love you so much and I can't live without you!" Tears were streaming down Percy's face. Paul and Sally were crying uncontrollably too. Percy continued, "Annabeth, you're my everything. I love everything about you. I love your hair and your eyes. I love the way they sparkle when you laugh, and the look you give me when I say something dumb. I love how you call me Seaweed Brain and kiss me when I do something stupid." Percy poured his heart out to Annabeth, forcing the words out in between the sobs. "I just- I love everything about you, Annabeth. I can't even put it into words. I love you so much! Please! Sweetheart, wake up. Please-"

"Percy," Sally interrupted. Her tone made Percy stop and look at his mother, whose expression had turned hopeful, "Her pulse just came back! She's breathing, it's shallow, but she's breathing. She needs more ambrosia!"

"I don't have any more. The rest is in my backpack, which is at home," Percy told her. Sally nodded.

"Keep talking to her. She's not out of the woods yet," Sally commanded. Paul knew Percy knew this. The seventeen year old had seen more death than anyone should ever have to experience, especially at his age, but this was different. Very different, and Percy was rendered helpless. It was obvious he knew that this could be the end for Annabeth, and he wanted her to know everything. Paul was worried about Percy. If he lost Annabeth, would he be able to go on? Paul wasn't sure.

"Annabeth, come on. Keep fighting! Come back to me," Percy continued, scooping her up carefully, and walking to the apartment, going in the back entrance, to, hopefully, avoid curious eyes. The whole time, Percy alternated between begging Annabeth to wake up and praying to Apollo to heal her.

They made it to the apartment, and Percy wasted no time, placing her gently on the couch, and racing to get godly food and drink. Paul watched, stunned, at the instant transformation Percy had made. He had gotten a grip and taken control of the situation. The tears had stopped, replaced by the hard set of his jaw as he worked, feeding Annabeth more ambrosia and sprinkling nectar on her chest wound.

"Come on, Annabeth. You can do this. You're the strongest person I know. Stronger than me. I need you, Annabeth. You're my wise girl. I love you! I love you so much, you don't even know. Please, _please_ wake up. Fight, baby, please!"

Paul stood, dumbfounded, as the wounds began to close up. The bleeding stopped, and the color, slowly, started coming back to Annabeth's face. Her breathing got visibly stronger, and, amazingly, her eyes fluttered open.

"Percy," she whispered hoarsely.

"I'm here, Annabeth," Percy told her, gripping her hand, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Percy," Annabeth repeated, stronger now, as she homed in on his features, "You're bleeding." Percy glanced down at his clothes, which were torn from the fight, and caked with blood, then back at his girlfriend.

"I'm okay, Annabeth. It's not mine." A look of realization spread across the girl's face. She tried to sit up, but winced. "Don't get up. You were hurt pretty bad. Probably cracked a few ribs too. Rest. I'm not going anywhere."

"Can I at least get a new shirt?" Annabeth asked, sounding more like herself now, which had Paul relieved. Percy glanced down at her shirt, as if realizing for the first time that there wasn't much left of it. What _was_ left was torn to shreds, and it didn't leave much to the imagination. Percy didn't seem to notice this though, and looked back into her eyes, then around the room.

He turned to Sally. "Mom? Can you get her cleaned up? It's, uh, better if you do it."

Sally smiled at her son, and nodded approvingly. "Absolutely," she told her son, "Carry her to the bathroom?" Percy nodded and gently scooped Annabeth into his arms.

"Sorry," he said quietly when she winced. As Percy and Sally walked off with Annabeth, Paul turned to the couch. Thankfully, it was dark brown leather, and didn't stain, so cleaning it was relatively easy. Paul and Sally had bought it after their last one had been ruined in a similar demigod emergency a few months after they had gotten married.

After he was done, Paul made his way into the kitchen to dispose of the, now blood stained, cleaning rags. He turned to see Percy walking in, wearing only a pair of gym shorts, and throwing his clothes from that night away too. Over the years, Paul had noticed that Sally had some pretty innovative ways of removing blood from clothes, but there came a point where it just wasn't worth the effort, and Percy's clothes from that night just weren't worth trying to save. They were torn up anyway.

Upon closer examination, Paul figured out why Percy wasn't wearing a shirt. He had a decent sized cut along his left shoulder blade, which was still bleeding pretty badly. Paul realized that, in all the shuffle that night, Percy hadn't gotten around to taking care of his own wounds yet.

"Percy, you're bleeding," Paul noted.

"I know. I'm fine," his stepson replied casually, opening the corner cabinet and helping himself to some ambrosia. Immediately, the minor cuts and scrapes from the attack started fading. Bruises disappeared, and the bleeding from the wound on his back let up.

"That doesn't look so good. I could clean it for you, if you want," Paul offered.

"Would you?" Percy asked, turning to him, "I mean, the ambrosia should help, but it would heal faster and less painfully if it was washed out with nectar."

"Say no more. Of course I will. Sit down."

"Thanks, Paul," Percy said gratefully, handing him a bottle of the golden liquid and sitting down in a kitchen chair. Paul went to work. The wound wasn't very deep, but it was ragged and dirty. Paul assumed it was caused by one of the monster's claws. He cleaned it out, first with water, which was probably the best thing for it, then with nectar.

"You know, you didn't have to clean up the mess in the living room," Percy said, "I would have done it."

Paul shrugged, and then realized that Percy couldn't see him. "I wanted to do something useful. Besides, Percy, you've done enough already."

Percy was quiet for a minute, and Paul finished cleaning the wound and covered it with a bandage, which probably wasn't necessary, but he did it anyway. He put away the first aid supplies, and sat down at the table with Percy, who seemed lost in thought.

"That was the closest I've ever come to losing her," Percy said after a minute, "Even in… in _Tartarus,_ I never came that close. It was always me taking the worst of it, protecting her. I-I thought tonight was it… that she wasn't gonna make it…" he trailed off, shaking his head. A small part of Paul's brain noted that this was the first time he'd heard Percy, or Annabeth for that matter, actually speak of Tartarus by name.

"Percy," Paul began, not knowing quite how to say what he was thinking, but giving it his best shot, "What happened back there wasn't your fault. You can't win them all, but don't blame yourself. What matters is that you're both okay now," he paused, collecting his thoughts before continuing, "I have to say, I'm impressed at how you took control of the situation tonight. You're the reason Annabeth is alive." Percy shook his head.

"The only thing I did was break down. If she hadn't made it here alive…" he trailed off again.

"I'm not talking about the medical care, Percy, though that was good too. Why do you think Annabeth made it back here alive? Why do you think she didn't let go back there in the streets? She fought, Percy, and do you know why? What were you doing while she was lying there?"

"Crying," Percy responded miserably.

"We all were. Anyone would have been, but that's not what I meant. What _else_ were you doing?"

"Talking to her."

"Exactly. She came back because of you. She heard your voice and fought harder. She heard you express to her just how much you loved her, begging her to come back to you, and you know what? She did. She's alive because of _you_, Percy." Percy was quiet.

"I just told her everything I wanted her to know, in case… you know." He said, finally.

Paul put a hand on Percy's shoulder. "Percy, love is a powerful thing. It made you say those words tonight, and those words saved Annabeth's life. Don't blame yourself for things that aren't your fault. Annabeth's okay now, and that's what matters, nothing else."

Percy looked up at Paul for the first time, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly, "Thanks, Paul." He said.

"Although the first aid skills were pretty impressive too…" Paul managed a small smile from Percy.

Sally walked in then, and Percy looked to her, asking an obvious question. "She's sleeping, Percy. Calm down," she told him.

He nodded, obviously relieved. "Thanks, mom," he told her, "and, uh, sorry we ruined your night out."

Sally just shook her head at her son. "It's not your fault, Percy. We were heading home anyway. I'm just glad you and Annabeth are okay."

Percy looked like he wanted to argue with that, but he didn't. Instead, he hugged Sally. "Happy birthday, mom," he told her.

"Thank you, Percy," she replied with a smile. Percy pulled away, tried for a smile, and then left the kitchen, obviously heading for his room and to Annabeth.

Sally sat down where Percy had just been sitting and looked at her husband.

"Some night, huh?" Paul said. Sally shrugged, smiling slightly.

"It all worked out in the end," she said lightly. Paul had to smile. That was the thing he loved most about Sally. She always looked on the bright side of everything.

"I love you," Paul told her.

"I love you too," Sally replied.

"Happy birthday, Sally," Paul said, as he leaned in and kissed her. Maybe the night hadn't been so bad after all.

* * *

**See? Happy ending! I couldn't kill Annabeth. She's my favorite! That would just be wrong...**

**Anyway, hope you liked it! Review and let me know! :)**


	11. Shared DNA or Not

**Here's the next chapter! Warning: You may cry while reading this. I almost cried writing it! But I thought it was super sweet and needed to be written. **

**Please read and REVIEW! Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: PJO is not owned by me, in case you didn't know... :P**

* * *

The next morning, Paul sat in the kitchen, sipping coffee and reading the newspaper. Sally was sleeping in, so no one else was up yet. It was peaceful.

A few minutes later, Paul heard shuffling, and was surprised to see Annabeth in the doorway. She moved slowly into the kitchen, careful not to move her upper body. Paul assumed she was still in some pain from the previous night.

"Good morning, Annabeth," Paul greeted her with a smile, carefully masking his concern and hoping it didn't show through.

"Morning," Annabeth replied lightly, standing behind the chair across from him, "Do you mind if I join you?" Paul was taken aback for a second. She was asking permission to join him at the table? Annabeth had been living with them for almost a year, and Paul considered her part of the family. Of course she was welcome, but that was just Annabeth, polite as always.

"Of course," he answered, watching as she carefully sat down. "How are you feeling?" he asked. Paul knew she didn't like attention when it came to injuries, but she had practically died the night before. He felt he had a right to be concerned. Annabeth just smiled dryly.

"I've been better, but I'll be alright," she replied. Paul nodded thoughtfully. He didn't necessarily believe that she was as well as she made it out to be, but he didn't argue.

"So," he began, trying for a casual conversation, "Are you hungry?" Annabeth shrugged, and then nodded. Paul started to stand, when she protested.

"Don't worry about it, Paul, I've got it," she told him, trying to stand, but wincing.

"No," Paul replied seriously, "I'll do it, Annabeth, I don't mind. What would you like?"

"I can't let you serve me, Paul. I'm fine, really."

"Just let me. Please, I insist." Annabeth eyed Paul and sighed. She'd apparently realized that he wasn't going to give in, and it wasn't worth the effort to argue. She nodded. Paul smiled at her.

"Now," he said, "I won't pretend that I'm even half the cook Sally is, because, trust me, you don't want me to try, so is cereal okay?" Annabeth smiled and nodded. Paul walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a cereal box, holding it up for the demigod to see. He was pretty sure he'd seen her eating that one before. Annabeth smiled and nodded again.

Paul prepared the bowl of cereal and placed it down in front of Annabeth, who smiled and thanked him.

While Annabeth ate, she and Paul struck up a conversation about Annabeth's family, which he knew surprisingly little about. It wasn't a common topic of conversation, and he was curious. He was a bit concerned at first. He knew that her relationship with her father, and his family, was unstable, but Annabeth seemed pretty comfortable talking about them, so he relaxed and listened.

Paul learned a lot about Percy's girlfriend that morning. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her, running away because she felt unwanted at the age of only seven, and fending for herself on the streets. Over the past months, Paul had grown to love Annabeth. She was like a daughter to him. Despite that, a part of him couldn't help but grow in respect for the girl sitting across from him. She was strong, if nothing else. He doubted he would have been able to do what she had, and definitely not at seven.

The conversation died down after a while, and Annabeth finished her breakfast. "I'm gonna go get showered," she said, "Thanks for breakfast, Paul. It was nice talking to you." Paul smiled. He grabbed the bowl away from her, before she could pick it up and bring it to the sink, which was her plan, no doubt. She shook her head at him, rolling her eyes, but she was smiling. Slowly and carefully, she got up from the table, and made her way out of the kitchen. Paul chuckled to himself at her stubbornness and rinsed her bowl out.

He finished, and turned around to see Percy slumping down at the table, amazed at how quiet years of battle training could make one's entrance. The demigod looked tired. Really tired. As far as Paul knew, the Tartarus nightmares were manageable now, as long as Annabeth was around, and he could make it through each night, getting a decent amount of sleep. Looking at Percy now, however, Paul found that hard to believe. If he hadn't known better, he'd say it was only a few weeks after he and Annabeth had returned home. It was that bad, and Paul was scared. He sat back down at the table, eyeing his stepson worriedly.

"Morning," Percy offered.

"You look exhausted," Paul stated bluntly. Percy just nodded.

"Didn't sleep well," Percy mumbled, not meeting Paul's eyes, who sighed sympathetically.

"Bad night, huh?" Percy looked up for the first time. Paul couldn't read his expression.

"Paul," he said after a few seconds, "I haven't had nightmares that bad in months…" He took a shaky breath and continued, "I mean, I thought things were getting better, but…" He trailed off, shaking his head and looking down again. Now his expression was clear: frustration and disappointment, which was pretty much exactly what Paul felt.

Paul took a deep breath, trying to figure out where to begin. He was glad Percy was telling him this, confiding in him, even if Paul had no idea what to say. He knew that nothing he said would be quite adequate. He had no idea what Percy and Annabeth had seen down there, but he was going to try anyway. He was strangely warmed at the opportunity, even it was only because Sally was still asleep and Percy needed to get it off his chest. A year ago, Paul knew, it would have been a different story. He and Percy had grown closer since he'd returned home, and Paul thanked the gods for that every day.

"Perce," Paul began, still not totally sure where he was going with this, "I know you want this to be over with, all of it, for it to be forgotten and done. I can't tell you how much _I_ want that for you, but, unfortunately, it's not that simple. I wish it were. I really do." He paused for a second. "I guess what I'm saying, Percy, is that it will just take time. I know you already know this, but it's true. I don't like it any more than you do, but you have come so far…" Percy closed his eyes tightly. Paul wasn't sure why, but he decided to keep going. Percy needed to know the truth. He needed to know how much Paul really did love him.

He continued, "I'm going to be honest with you here, Percy. When you and Annabeth first showed up here after the war, I took one look at you and wondered if you would ever be the same again, and I'll tell you, the first few weeks, I worried that you wouldn't. That was a terrible time.

"Then, I started seeing _you_ again. Underneath all of the fear and darkness, Percy Jackson was still in there. You just had to figure out how to come back out. And you did. It was slow. _Painstakingly _slow, but you started being you again, Percy. The first smile I saw from you, I wanted to jump up and dance around in joy; the first laugh, the first corny comment, every time.

"I know, I'm rambling, but I think you need to hear this. My point is, never once did we give up on you. Not your mother. Not me. Never. It was hard and scary, and _gods_ did things seem hopeless at first, but we never stopped believing that you would get better. We never lost hope, Percy, and you can't either. Not now, not ever. I'm not going to.

"You're stronger than this, Perce. You'll get through it. It won't be quick, we know that, and I think you do too, but despite how awful that is, you can't give up. Last night was just a bad night. You were tired and strung out emotionally. You got scared; Percy that's _all _and I don't blame you. You saw how close you came to losing Annabeth, and it scared you. You realized how much you need her, and you were worried that you couldn't go on without her, and _that's_ why the nightmares came. You thought about how close you'd come, and you lost hope. Don't, Percy. Losing hope is not an option, okay? You will get through this. Will. Not might or hopefully will. You _will._ I have no doubt in my mind.

"We believe in you, Percy. _I _believe in you. But you have to believe in yourself, or it's all for nothing. Don't give up, Perce. You can do this. You _will _do this. Keep fighting. Don't let one bad night ruin everything for you. Push through it, move on. Sure, you got knocked down. Get back up, and keep fighting. Just like every monster you've fought, no matter how long it took, eventually, you won. Get back up and you'll win."

Paul finished his speech, amazed at himself. He hadn't known he'd had that in him, but he'd meant every word he'd said, and he believed them. He watched as Percy finally looked up, and Paul knew why he'd shut his eyes tightly the whole time. A tear trickled down his stepson's cheek. There was silence for a minute.

"Paul, I…" Percy paused. He seemed at a loss for words, rendered speechless. "Thank you," Percy whispered, "You're right. I won't give up, I promise."

Paul nodded at his stepson. "Perce, I know I'm not your biological dad, but I love you. You know that, right? You're my son, shared DNA or not."

Percy nodded. "I love you too, dad," Percy said as he got up and gave Paul a hug. When he pulled away, despite looking terrible, he was grinning, "Why'd you become an English teacher? You should be a psychologist. You're good at it." Despite himself, Paul had to laugh.

"Thanks," Percy told him, serious again, "For everything." Paul knew what he meant. _Thank you for accepting me, crazy as my life is. Thank you for making my mom happy. Thank you for being here. Thank you, literally, for everything._

"You're welcome, Percy. Anytime, okay?" Percy smiled, nodded, and turned to leave. "Hey," Paul called before he walked out. Percy turned. "I'll brew some coffee for you." Percy chuckled and nodded as he left the kitchen.

A minute later, Sally walked in. She had tears in her eyes.

"Did you hear that?" Paul asked, not sure if he wanted her to or not. Sally just nodded, hugging him tightly and kissing him.

"So did Annabeth. I think you helped her too. That was beautiful, Paul," she said, once they pulled apart.

"It's the truth," he answered honestly. Sally nodded, still crying.

"I know," she whispered and hugged him again, burying her head in his shoulder.

"Thank you, Paul."

"For what?"

"For accepting Percy. For loving him. For being the dad he never had."

* * *

**Well? Bad? Good? What'd ya think? Let me know!**

**And also, since I forgot to write it above, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all those who have followed/favorited this story. I don't know how many there are of you exactly, but there's a bunch! AND thank you SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much to those who review after each chapter. I love reading them! It's nice to know my work is appreciated! THANK YOU! :)**

**Anyway, hope you liked it!**


	12. Someday

**Here's the next chapter! I know, I'm on a roll right now! **

_**PLEASE READ! So, a lot of you have been requesting for me to do a story about Percy and Annabeth as adults (marriage, kids, etc.). I just wanted to let you all know that I am planning on writing this story after I am finished with this one. Maybe before that, but probably not. So, something to look forward to. **_

_**Also, school starts in a week, so updates may slow down a little, but I will still try to post a new chapter at least once a week, twice if you're lucky. :)**_

**THANK YOU for all the reviews! I love you all. I read every single one of them, I promise!**

**Anyway, please R&R, as always. Enjoy :)**

* * *

Paul sat in the passenger seat of his Prius. Percy had finally gotten around to getting his driver's license a few days ago, so Paul had let him drive. They were heading to the mall, and neither of them was particularly happy about it. Valentine's Day was in a few days, and they were going shopping for gifts for their significant others.

Paul was terrible at shopping for Sally. It wasn't that he didn't know what she liked, but he could never decide, and would always second guess his decision. He knew Percy had similar troubles with Annabeth, so he'd suggested they go together to help each other. In other words, it was pretty much the blind leading the blind.

It had been a week since Sally's birthday; a week since that fateful night, the monster attack that had come very close to taking Annabeth's life. The first night had been very hard on Percy, but since Paul had talked to him the morning after the fight, the demigod had seemed better again. He was sleeping again, and for that, Paul was grateful. Annabeth was fully healed from the ordeal now. She and Sally had gone to run a few errands after school, which left Paul and Percy the perfect opportunity to go shopping for their gifts, without them knowing.

When they arrived at the mall, Percy had to search for a parking spot for a few minutes. It was a Friday afternoon. Didn't people have any better way to spend the start of their weekend, than at the mall? _They're probably here for the same reason we are,_ Paul thought.

When Percy finally found a spot and parked the car, the two got out, and made their way into the mall. They had to study the directory to find a jewelry store. Well, actually, Paul studied the directory. Percy tried, but gave in to his dyslexia quickly. It turned out there wasn't one jewelry store in the mall… there were five.

"Which one do we go to?" Paul asked, turning to Percy. Paul met his stepson's eyes, and watched as the demigod looked toward the mall's directory. Percy smiled slightly, closed his eyes, and pointed to a random name on the list.

"That one," Percy announced, grinning. Paul chuckled at his antics, shaking his head, and leaned in to read the name Percy had pointed to.

"Kay Jewelers," Paul read, "Okay then. It's this way." Paul started walking, Percy caught up easily.

"Were we supposed to go this far?" Paul asked as he and Percy navigated their way through the mall. That was the problem with living in New York City, the malls were _huge._ The main area branched out into many smaller ones, lined wall to wall with stores. It didn't take long for the men to get lost, and the crowds didn't make things any better.

Percy just looked around and shrugged helplessly, shaking his head. "The Labyrinth was easier to navigate than this," he complained. Had he not been so frustrated, Paul would have laughed at that comment. He sighed instead.

"Percy?" Paul heard from somewhere to his right. Percy turned, squinted, and then grinned. "Jason? " Percy asked, as a blonde haired, blue eyes teenager made his way over to them. Percy greeted him and turned to Paul. "This is Jason Grace," Percy explained, "Son of Jupiter. I told you about him, right?" Paul nodded and shook Jason's hand.

"Paul Blowfis," he introduced himself, "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, sir," Jason replied.

"So, what are you doing here?" Percy asked Jason.

"I could ask you the same question," Jason replied, grinning.

"Well, see, I actually live here in New York, so it's not totally weird for me to be here," Percy explained jokingly, "Well, actually it is, 'cause this is a mall, and I don't really _do_ malls," he added, "But you, Jason Grace, live on the other side of the country, so..." he trailed off, raising his eyebrows.

The Roman shrugged. "I was visiting Piper," he explained. "Her dad's filming here in New York for a few weeks, and she came with him. We were actually thinking of stopping by your apartment, but we didn't want to just show up."

"You could have," Percy shrugged, "How long are you here for?"

"Until Sunday,"

Percy nodded. "So, what brings you to this madhouse we call a mall?" he asked.

Jason held up a small bag, Paul hadn't realized he was holding. "Same as you, I'm guessing. Valentine's Day shopping?"

Percy nodded. "Who knew finding a jewelry store could be so difficult?" he asked no one in particular.

"I just came from one," Jason told them, "Which one were you looking for?"

"Whichever one we find first," Percy replied. Paul nodded, smiling.

Jason chuckled and pointed to an unusually pink store. "See that store at the corner? Take a left at it. The store I went to is the second or third one on the right."

"Great. Jason, you're a lifesaver," Percy thanked him.

"Thanks, Jason," Paul said with a smile.

"No problem," Jason replied, "It was nice meeting you, Mr. Blowfis. See ya, Percy."

"Bye, man. It was good seeing you," Percy said.

"You too. Good luck with the shopping."

"Thanks."

Paul and Percy followed Jason's directions, and found the jewelry store. It wasn't the one they'd originally been looking for, but it would work. The two entered the store, and looked around. Paul started scanning the cases of shiny necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, and other things Paul had no name for. Percy headed off in a separate direction.

It briefly crossed Paul's mind that, compared to Annabeth, Sally was easy to shop for, when it came to jewelry, at least. Anything else, though, and it was definitely reversed. Paul had an idea of what Sally might like, so finding something for her there shouldn't be too hard. Annabeth didn't wear jewelry, other than some simple owl earrings and, of course, her camp necklace. How was Percy going to find something for her? This was, technically, their first Valentine's Day as a couple, being as Percy had been missing for it last year.

Paul was still looking over the case, when Percy called him over.

"Hey, Paul, come here a minute." Paul turned curiously, and made his way over to where his stepson was standing. He was kind of surprised that Percy seemed to have found something so quickly. He'd been expecting him to have some trouble. Apparently not.

"What do you think of this?" Percy asked Paul, when he'd come over. Paul peered into the display case, where Percy was pointing. He had to admit, he was impressed.

The bracelet was simple, but intricate. It looked like silver and gold braided together, with tiny stones imbedded every inch or so, and the crazy part, the stones were sea green and a dull silver, like a gray. The colors matched Percy and Annabeth's eyes exactly. Despite being so delicate, Paul could tell it was durable. It would be able to withstand a monster attack, yet it wasn't big and bulky. It was simple, but beautiful, and Paul could see why it had caught Percy's eye. It had Annabeth written all over it, like it was meant for her.

"I bet I can get Tyson to reinforce it with Celestial Bronze strands, so it's stronger…" Percy said as Paul examined the bracelet in awe.

"Can I help you?" a perky voice asked. Paul looked up to see a smiling blonde in her twenties looking at them expectantly.

"Yeah," Percy answered, "Can I see that bracelet in there, the one with the gold and gray stones?" The saleslady unlocked the case from behind, and laid the bracelet on the counter. Percy picked it up, fingering it carefully.

"I think Annabeth will love that, Percy," Paul told him.

Percy nodded, smiling slightly. "Me too," he said, than to the saleslady, "I'll take it." She nodded, smiling cheerfully, and told him to follow her to the register. Paul continued to scan the display cases, looking for something for Sally.

As he looked at the shiny accessories, Paul couldn't help but be impressed with his stepson. He was so much different than Paul was at seventeen. Granted, Percy had been through so much more than Paul ever would, but still. Percy had a girlfriend, whom, it was obvious; he was desperately in love with. He'd saved up some money before he'd disappeared the previous year, no doubt, planning on using it on her. Now that things had been improving for the two of them, Percy was looking into getting a part time job at Camp Half-Blood as a sword instructor. Paul knew he planned on marrying Annabeth one day, and, really, things were looking up. At first, Paul really hadn't been sure if Percy would be able to move past Tartarus and on with his life, but he was. It was slow going, but he was getting through it. Percy had his whole life ahead of him, and, despite everything, he was, very obviously, determined to live it.

Paul's thought process was interrupted when he noticed a necklace in the far corner of the display case. It was a silver chain, with two interlocking diamond hearts dangling off of it. It was simple enough, but still classy and _perfect._ This was what he should get for Sally, he knew it.

"Hey, Percy," Paul called, not looking up from the necklace, "Come look at this." Paul looked up from the display and around the store. He found Percy staring intently down at the case of jewelry next to the one Paul was standing in front of. "Perce?" Paul called again, walking over to his stepson. This time, Percy heard him, and looked up.

"Oh, sorry. I'm coming," Percy answered, turning and heading to where Paul had been standing a second ago. Paul turned to follow him back, but not before sneaking a glance at the case Percy had been so interested in. It was full of rings. Engagement rings. Paul hid his smile as he walked toward his stepson, coming back to reality.

"I'm thinking this one for your mom," Paul said, pointing out the specified necklace. Percy smiled at him.

"I'm thinking it's perfect for her," he said with a smile. Paul nodded, smiling back, and waved the saleslady over. He bought the necklace, and the two left the jewelry store, and made their way back through the mall.

Once in the car and, of course, stuck in traffic (this was New York, after all) Paul decided to bring up what had been killing him since leaving the store. "So, Perce," he began carefully, "Engagement rings?"

Percy turned bright red and became very interested in the red light in front of him. His ADHD induced tapping on the wheel stopped suddenly. Paul felt bad for making him uncomfortable, but he was genuinely curious. The light changed color and Percy continued driving. He didn't answer until they were stuck at the next traffic light, about a minute later. "I was just looking… you know," Percy answered quietly, "Cause, you know, _someday-_"

"Percy," Paul interrupted, "It's okay. I was just curious. That's great." There was uncomfortable silence for another traffic light.

"I'm gonna marry her someday," Percy said finally, "I was just daydreaming, I guess."

"It's okay, Percy. Sorry I made you uncomfortable. I just wondered."

Percy shrugged. "It's okay. I just… I'm seventeen. I know we're too young to get married, but, in a few years, hopefully, we will."

Paul nodded. He knew what Percy meant by "hopefully." They were demigods. They were already older than most ever lived to be. Paul admired Percy. He was seventeen years old, and had long ago accepted the fact that he was more than likely to die young. Heck, he'd expected to die on his sixteenth birthday, and it was obvious he was going to cherish every moment he had. He knew what he wanted. He'd mentioned how he'd give anything to be normal before, but he'd accepted the fact that he wasn't. All he wanted to do was grow up and marry the girl he loved.

Was that too much to ask? Paul hoped not. Percy and Annabeth had been through a lot, even by demigod standards. They deserved happiness more than anyone, as far as Paul was concerned. He didn't blame Percy, not one bit. He was happy his stepson loved Annabeth so much. It was obvious in so many ways, and Paul knew, beyond a doubt, that the two of them would get married some day, but he was still warmed to hear him say it.

They drove in silence some more, but it was more comfortable this time. The next time Percy spoke, it was about a different topic entirely. "I was thinking," he said, "we should invite Piper and Jason over for dinner sometime. Annabeth and Piper are good friends, and they haven't seen each other since the quest. I think it will be a nice surprise."

"I'm okay with it," Paul answered, "And I'm sure your mom will be too."

Percy nodded. "I'll IM Jason when we get back."

Thankfully, Paul and Percy made it back to the apartment before Sally and Annabeth, so they were able to avoid questions. Paul hid Sally's necklace in the back of his bedside table drawer and went into the kitchen to get himself a drink. He could hear the muffled conversation Percy was having, Paul assumed, with Jason. Paul had sent Sally a text on the way home, double checking with her about the dinner invitation. She, of course, had said yes.

Paul's mind kept going back to the conversation in the car. He prayed that Percy would, someday, be able to marry Annabeth. That was all he could do, and, honestly, he couldn't think of anything he wanted more.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or Kay Jewelers! It's down here today :)**

**Thanks for reading! Did you like it? Leave a review and let me know! **

**Thank you to every one of you who has followed/favorited/reviewed to this story! You are awesome!**

**Until next time. :D**


	13. Dinner Guests

**Here's the next chapter! I'm trying to get as many up as possible before school starts next week.**

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordon owns Percy Jackson and the rest of the characters in PJO and HoO. :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Paul was in the kitchen, "helping" Sally cook. In reality, he was just stirring, while she added the ingredients and, pretty much, did everything else. Jason and Piper, friends of Percy and Annabeth, were coming over for dinner that night.

Percy wanted it to be a surprise, so Annabeth didn't know about it, and she was a little suspicious with all the preparations. Sally had convinced her, or at least tried to, that it was just a little family celebration of Valentine's day, which was the next day, since Paul and she were going out to dinner separate from Percy and her, but Paul wasn't sure if it'd worked or not. Being the daughter of Athena, surprising Annabeth was a difficult thing to do. Sally had managed to convince her that there was nothing she could do to help, so the girl had gone to find Percy instead.

Just then, Percy walked into the kitchen, and asked if they needed any help. "They should be here in half an hour," he said quietly.

"Where's Annabeth?" Sally asked in the same hushed tone.

"My room," Percy answered, "Doing homework that's probably not due for another month." Paul chuckled. Yeah, that sounded like Annabeth.

"You can set the table," Sally told him. Percy nodded and set to work. The next twenty five minutes were spent finishing cooking the food and placing it decoratively on the table. Percy was sent to get Annabeth for "dinner," which wasn't a lie, just not the whole truth.

She showed up a few minutes later, as Sally was placing the last of the food on the table, and Paul was finishing up washing the pots used to cook. Percy was behind her. Thankfully, there was a knock at the door, just as she walked in, keeping her from noticing the extra two places at the table. Annabeth narrowed her eyes.

"Are you expecting someone?" she asked, looking at Sally, and then at Paul.

"Not that I know of," Sally answered, with a perplexed expression. Paul was amazed at how well she could act. He'd been an actor in college, and she still had him beat! He supposed all those years of having to make up stories before Percy had learned the truth had paid off for something after all.

"It's probably just another one of these door to door salesmen," Paul added, turning from the sink to look at Annabeth, totally poker faced.

"Would you mind getting it, Annabeth?" Sally asked, "Tell them we're not interested."

"Um, okay," Annabeth replied slowly, still not totally buying it. She turned and found Percy standing in the hallway behind her. "What do you say, Mr. Two Time Hero of Olympus, want to save me from the annoying door to door salesman and answer the door for me?" she asked, smiling sweetly.

Percy smirked at her. "First of all, you're a two time hero of Olympus too, and second, no, I'll let you handle him. You're scarier than me," he replied smoothly.

"And don't you forget it," Annabeth replied, smiling. She glanced at the door and sighed, smile gone, "Fine," she groaned, and walked to the door. Paul heard the door open, and someone gasped, Annabeth, he assumed. "What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised,with a smile in her voice.

He finished washing the last of the pots and pans, and headed into the hallway. Sally came with him. Paul turned to see Annabeth hugging a teenage girl, around sixteen, with long, choppy brown hair and kaleidoscopic eyes. Jason stood in the doorway, smiling.

"Standing at the front door all night, apparently," Jason answered Annabeth's question sarcastically, "Thought no one was home for a min- Ow!" He was cut short the brown haired girl, Piper, Paul guessed, pulled away from Annabeth and smacked him in the arm.

She turned back around and gave Percy a hug. She pulled away and smiled at Paul and Sally. "Hi," she said lightly, "I'm Piper McLean. You must be Mr. and Mrs. Blowfis."

Sally smiled warmly. "Please," she said, "Call me Sally. This is my husband, Paul," she said, gesturing to him. Paul smiled at the girl. Jason came up behind her.

"I'm Jason," he said, "Nice to meet you Mrs. Bl- Sally." Jason corrected himself when Sally made a face at him. Jason turned to Paul. "Nice to see you again, Mr. Blofis," He said, shaking his head.

"Call me Paul," Paul said with a smile.

After introductions were over with, Sally led everyone into the kitchen for dinner. Everyone took their seats, Paul next to Sally, Percy next to Annabeth, Jason next to Piper.

"So," Annabeth asked, after the initial introductions and 'My godly parent is...,' "How long have you guys been planning this?" She was asking everyone, but she was looking at Percy.

Percy blinked. Uh oh. Sally and Annabeth didn't know about their trip to the mall for Valentine's Day gifts yesterday. Paul tried to stay casual, but he was desperately hoping Percy came up with something believable.

"Uh, well I IMed Jason the other day, and he told me that he and Piper were in New York, so I thought it'd be fun for them to come for dinner. You hadn't seen them since the quest, and I figured I'd surprise you," Percy replied. Paul was glad he sounded so calm and collected. Maybe this would work after all. Annabeth studied her boyfriend for a second, before turning to Piper. She didn't look entirely convinced, but she'd apparently, thank the gods, decided not to press the issue.

"So how long are you in New York for?" Annabeth asked the daughter of Aphrodite. Paul noticed Jason also looked relieved. That'd been a close call for all three of them.

"Well," Piper answered, "My dad's filming a scene for a new movie here. We were only supposed to be here for two weeks, but that was almost a month ago."

"You've been here for almost a month, and you didn't stop by once?" Annabeth demanded.

Piper hesitated. "Well," she answered after a moment, "I wanted to, I just wasn't sure if you were… you know, if you were up for visitors. Cause, you know, last time we saw you…" she trailed off awkwardly. Percy and Annabeth both looked down, then at each other.

"I guess we were pretty scary looking the last time…" Percy offered, looking at Annabeth. There was awkward silence for a minute.

As terrible as it was, Paul couldn't really blame Piper. He'd seen Percy and Annabeth just days after they'd returned from Greece, from _Tartarus_, and he'd been scared at the sight of them too. Thinking back to six months ago, and looking at them now, it was like the two were totally different people. The improvement was almost hard to believe, but the thought made Paul feel better. They had come so far over the last few months.

Annabeth nodded slowly, like she, too, was thinking about that horrible time, not that long ago. "Yeah," she answered, "It's okay, Piper. It _is_ good to see you, though."

Piper smiled at her friend, looking relieved. "You too. I'm sorry, Annabeth. Jason told me when he'd seen Percy at camp a few months ago, that he'd looked pretty terrible, no offense, Percy, so I just assumed you needed some more time…"

"Gee, thanks, Jason," Percy said, jokingly.

Jason shrugged nonchalantly, "Sorry, man, it was the truth," he replied, grinning.

Percy shrugged and grinned back. "Probably," he replied. Annabeth just smacked him playfully.

"Wait, if you've been here for a month, aren't you missing school?" Annabeth asked Piper.

"No," Piper replied, "I actually got kicked out of the one I started in at the beginning of the year, monster attack, don't ask, so I've been home schooled since then. Mellie is a surprisingly good teacher." She smiled at the last part.

"Mellie's a wind spirit," Percy explained to his parents, who had been looking at each other with confused expressions, "She became Mr. McLean's assistant after the old one turned out to be working for Medea, who had came back through the Doors of Death, last December. She's Coach Hedge's girlfriend."

Jason looked surprised. "How do you know that?" he asked.

"Leo," Percy answered simply. Paul had heard all about that son of Hephaestus.

"Figures," replied Jason. The demigods laughed. Paul and Sally, who had finished their food, decided to leave the friends to catch up with each other. They sat in the living room. Sally pulled out her laptop and was typing away, probably writing more of the novel she hoped to finish and have published one day. Paul pulled out some tests that needed grading from his English class. He corrected a few, but got bored pretty quickly. The conversation taking place in the kitchen was much more interesting.

"So, Jason," Percy was asking, "How are things at Camp Jupiter?"

"They're good, I guess. Pretty much the same as always. Julia keeps asking about you, though," Paul heard Jason reply.

"Who's Julia?" Annabeth asked. Paul was wondering this too. He thought he could detect a bit of jealousy in the Daughter of Athena's guarded voice.

"She's this little six year old legacy who lives in New Rome. She helps Terminus guard the city." Percy explained, "Don't worry, Annabeth; I'm all yours."

"She says she wants to be Percy Jackson when she's older," Jason added, a smile evident in his voice.

"She wants to be _you_?" Annabeth asked, obviously to Percy, "Gods help her." They all laughed, Paul chuckling along with them.

"Hey!" Percy protested.

"You know, Percy," Jason said after the laughter died down, "Technically, you're still praetor. I don't know how that works, being there's three now, but you were elected, and it's kind of a permanent thing. You're a hero to the Romans, especially the fifth cohort."

Paul could almost see Percy shrugging. "It's not a big deal. It wasn't my idea to become leader or anything. It just, sort of, happened that way."

Paul smirked. That was Percy for you. He didn't seek power, even though he had it. He didn't try to be a leader, even though he naturally was. He didn't like attention, even though he got it. He just wanted to be like everyone else, even though he wasn't. Percy was one of the most powerful demigods ever, and yet, he didn't flaunt it. He put others before himself, and was loyal beyond belief. Paul had never been to camp and he didn't interact much with the demigod world, but, from the little experience he did have with it, Paul knew that much and it was one of his favorite things about his stepson.

"I know," Jason answered, "My point though, is that people ask about you a lot. They count you as a Roman, even if you're Greek, the same way it is for me at Camp Half Blood. You should visit sometime."

"Octavian would _love_ that," Piper said sarcastically.

Percy snorted. "Well, in that case, maybe I will," he said, and the four laughed again.

"But Annabeth has to come too," Percy added.

"No, Percy," Annabeth told him, "The Romans don't really like me, the whole Athena/Minerva maiden goddess thing. It's okay."

"I don't think it'd be a problem," Jason said. "After all, Annabeth, you found the Athena Parthenos. That has to count for something. Besides, like I said, Percy's still a praetor. If he brings you, there's not really anything they can do about it."

"We'll see," Annabeth replied, but she didn't sound very excited about it.

"I think it'd be fun," Percy added, "The war games are great. The fifth cohort kicked some serious butt the last time I was there."

"Hmm, I wonder why." Piper said, a smile in her voice.

The conversation after that was surprisingly normal. Paul graded a few more papers, and almost forgot that the four teenagers talking and laughing in the kitchen were half Greek god. Almost.

A few minutes later, Sally announced that it was time for desert. The demigods placed their dinner plates in the sink, and Sally handed out slices of cake and blue cookies. Paul grabbed a cookie and headed back into the living room. Sally soon joined him.

After another thirty minutes of conversation that consisted of video games, friends at camp, and a rather heated debate about whether sword fighting or knife fighting took more skill, Jason announced that he and Piper should get going.

"I've left Reyna to deal with Octavian long enough," he explained, "And I promised to have Piper back by eight-thirty."

The teenagers made their way into the hall and toward the door. Paul and Sally joined them to say goodbye, which made the hallway pretty crowded, but no one seemed to mind. Annabeth glanced at a clock on the wall, staring at it longer than Paul expected, but then he remembered that, she too, had dyslexia. "Um, Jason?" she asked, "It's eight fifteen now. How are you going to get Piper across town in fifteen minutes?"

Jason just grinned cockily. "Air travel. I can get her there in five."

"Right," Annabeth replied, smiling.

After hugs, handshakes, and goodbyes, Piper and Jason left.

"Air travel?" Paul asked. He'd been wondering about that comment ever since Jason had said it. Surely Jason didn't mean he'd catch a plane to fly across Manhattan.

"Jason can manipulate air currents," Annabeth explained, "He can fly."

"Oh," Paul said, surprised. He hadn't been expecting that. He wondered if the day would come when he'd stop being surprised at these things.

"Son of Jupiter," Percy said, "Though, if you ask me, Poseidon's way cooler." Everyone chuckled. Annabeth smacked Percy on the arm.

"Seaweed Brain," she told him, rolling her eyes and smiling.

Paul smiled wider. Tonight seemed to have been good for the two of them. He'd been concerned that seeing friends from the quest would set back their recovery process, but, looking at them now, Paul realized his worries had been for nothing. If anything, Percy and Annabeth seemed happier than they'd been in a long time.

_Since when do I worry so much?_ He asked himself, but he answered his own question pretty quickly. Since he'd become a husband and a father.

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**I know, sappy ending, but I couldn't think of anything else! Review!**


	14. Celebrating Love

**I know, this one is super short, and probably not my best, but a lot of you requested to have me do this, so here it is. Hopefully you like it. Next one will be longer, I promise.**

**Disclaimer: PJO isn't owned by me.**

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Paul sat down in the living room, pulling his wife close. It was Valentine's Day. Paul had taken Sally out for the night, and they had just returned home. Percy and Annabeth weren't back yet.

The two didn't say anything. They didn't have to. They just sat, cuddling, and enjoying each other's company. Paul glanced down at the necklace around Sally's neck. He had given it to her earlier that night. To say she'd liked it would be an understatement.

Twenty minutes later, the front door opened. Percy and Annabeth appeared in the hallway, smiling, holding hands, and looking genuinely happy and in love.

"Hey, mom, Paul," Percy greeted them, but he dragged Annabeth out of sight before either of them could answer. Paul heard the two enter the kitchen. He was kind of glad that they seemed to get that Paul and Sally wanted to be alone, and didn't stick around.

He heard talking coming from the other room, but was only half listening, something about finishing homework from Annabeth and a complaint from Percy about how teachers shouldn't give homework on holidays. He stopped paying attention after that.

Paul wasn't sure how long he and Sally sat there. He glanced at the clock: _10:14._ It really was getting late. Valentine's Day, unfortunately, had fallen on a Monday this year. There was school tomorrow, and, being a teacher, Paul had to be there early. He sighed and stood up.

"It's getting late," he told Sally. Her obvious disappointment matched his, but she nodded and stood up with him. Paul kissed her sweetly, and watched as she made her way toward their bedroom. He gathered up the pile of papers he had graded earlier, and placed them in his work bag to hand back the next day. He was about to join Sally, when he heard talking, and remembered that Percy and Annabeth were still in the kitchen. Paul made his way down the hall, planning on letting them know that he and Sally were heading to bed, hopefully, to subtly hint that they should too.

Paul peeked into the kitchen, unnoticed. Percy and Annabeth sat at the table, and, judging from the closed textbooks and binders, Paul assumed that they'd finished their homework. They were having a conversation that involved a lot of Greek words and terms, Paul assumed, about mythology of some kind.

For a while after returning home, Percy and Annabeth had been hesitant to speak of anything that could remind them of Tartarus in any way, shape, or form. This included pretty much everything that even remotely involved demigods, monsters, gods, or mythology, even Greece and Rome. However, over the last few months, they'd healed remarkably well, and were becoming okay with speaking of most of those things again. The mentioning of certain monsters were sore points, apparently the ones they'd seen down there, which was a surprisingly large, scary amount. Tartarus was pretty much always referred to as "there," or "that place," or "you know where." Other than that, though, their conversations were pretty much back to normal. That is, if you call a demigod conversation, by any standards, normal. Paul did.

Suddenly, Percy's eyes widened. "Oh!" he said rather loudly, "I forgot!"

Annabeth looked confused. "Forgot what?" she asked. Percy reached into his pocket and pulled out a small square box wrapped in red paper. Paul knew what it was, and shook his head slightly. Of course Percy would forget!

"This," Percy said as he handed the box to her, "Happy Valentine's Day, Annabeth."

The daughter of Athena took the box gingerly in her hands and looked at Percy, confused. "When did you…?" she asked.

"On Friday, while you and mom were out. Open it."

She gently tore the paper. When she opened the box, she gasped. "Percy," she breathed, "it's beautiful."

"You like it?" Percy asked hopefully. Annabeth nodded, a huge smile plastered to her face. Percy took the bracelet out of the box, and she held out her wrist. He put it on her. "You wanna know the best part?" Percy asked, grinning, "I had it reinforced with Celestial Bronze. It's monster proof."

Annabeth smiled impossibly wider. "Thank you, Percy," she said. She kissed him. Paul took a step back into the hallway. He felt kind of bad having watched that, but he couldn't help it. He'd been there when Percy had bought that bracelet for Annabeth, and he was glad she liked it. He smiled widely.

Paul retreated back down the hallway, toward his and Sally's bedroom. Halfway there, he remembered his original intentions of heading to the kitchen in the first place. _They'll figure it out._ He told himself, still smiling, and continued toward his bedroom.

"I love you, Annabeth," he heard Percy say, before he walked in.

"I love you too, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth replied.

Paul walked into his bedroom and joined Sally in getting ready for the night.

He lay in bed, a few minutes later, with Sally curled up next to him. He couldn't help feeling warmed right to the core of his being. Valentine's Day was a day meant for celebrating love, and that was exactly what they'd done.

Paul was still pretty new to the concept of having a family of his own, and he was still learning, but there was one thing he definitely knew for sure. His family may not be perfect. It may not be easy all the time. There may still be days where Paul wondered what on earth he'd gotten himself into, but one thing was for sure. His family loved each other.

And he couldn't think of anything better than that.

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**Short and sweet, right? Right?**

**What did you think? I had some trouble coming up with how to have Percy giving Annabeth the gift, so hopefully you liked it. If not, sorry! I'm working on an idea for the next chapter, so hopefully it will be up by tomorrow sometime.**

**Let me know what you thought.**

**:)**


	15. Like Family

**Here's the next chapter! I know, two in one day! (Well, actually not, cause it's after midnight right now, but you get the point.) Now you all know how much I lack a life right now. :)**

**Hope you like it. :)**

**Please R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns the PJO characters.**

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Paul watched as Sally unlocked and opened the door to their apartment. They had been out buying a new coffee table for their living room. Their other one had accidentally gotten sliced in two the day before, when Sally had startled Percy, who had been sitting on the floor, leaning against said table. Apparently, wooden tables were no match for Celestial Bronze blades.

Yesterday had been a bad day for Percy. Neither he, nor Annabeth, had had one in almost a month, and Paul had been optimistic that they had disappeared for good. No such luck.

Percy had woken up that morning, wearing that faraway, broken look in his eyes, and Paul had known it was going to be a difficult day. Compared to how bad they had been when the demigods had first returned home, bad days, such as yesterday's, were almost nothing. Almost. Rather than spending the day trapped inside their mind, hallucinating, crying, and sometimes screaming for the duration of the day, bad days now consisted of one of the two being in something of a trance all day, like they were only partially aware of their surroundings. They often would get very little to no sleep the night before. They would hardly respond to anything, unless of course, like the day before, they were caught off guard or startled, in which case, anyone within reach had better get out of the way fast. The only exception to that last part for Percy, was Annabeth, and vice versa.

Some bad days were better than others, but, no matter how bad a day would be for one of them, the other was also affected. To put it bluntly, bad days were dreaded.

Paul was loaded down with a large box, containing their new, not yet assembled, coffee table. He followed Sally through the doorway. It was mid-March, and it was still pretty cold outside in New York. Paul's hands were numb. The warm apartment welcomed him with open arms.

Percy had offered to pay for the new table, as he was the reason for them needing a new one in the first place, but Paul hadn't let him. He felt bad about Percy feeling guilty, but the demigod had been through way too much and saved the world way too many times, for him to have to worry about paying for a new table, just because the old one had been destroyed from of the aftereffects of surviving hell. Paul knew he himself wasn't personally responsible for any of that, but he still felt bad that Percy'd had to go through it at all. Paul felt it was the least he could do to repay Percy for everything he'd done. Because, really, he figured, if Percy hadn't saved the world, Paul wouldn't be here right now either.

Paul dropped the box off in the hallway, and went to warm up. He walked to the kitchen, planning on running his hands under some hot water.

"I don't want to go without you," Percy was saying to Annabeth as Paul walked into the kitchen.

"Sorry," Paul apologized for interrupting.

"It's okay," Percy answered and continued the conversation as if Paul wasn't there at all. He stared intently at his girlfriend, obviously waiting for some kind of answer. Paul turned on the sink, warming up the water.

"I don't know, Percy. It's weird for me to be there," she answered.

Percy looked crestfallen, but said, "Well, if you don't want to go, I won't go either."

"Percy, you don't have to do that. You can go without me."

Percy shook his head. "No, I can't. Things are bad without you, Annabeth. I won't go alone. I can't."

Annabeth sighed heavily. "Okay, fine. I'll go with you. I don't want to try to sleep without you either."

Percy gave his girlfriend a small smile of understanding. "Thank you," he told her earnestly. He turned to Paul, who was drying his hands off. "Did you find one?" he asked, obviously talking about the coffee table.

"Yup," Paul answered.

"But you haven't changed your mind about letting me pay for it, have you?" Percy inquired.

Paul grinned. "Nope."

Percy sighed. "What about half?" Paul shook his head. Percy sighed again. "Fine," he said, exasperated, "But at least let me put it together for you.

Paul eyed his stepson. "Okay, Percy. If it will make you feel better, fine."

"Thank you," Percy replied, looking a little happier, he got up and made his way into the hallway, obviously planning on getting started on the table.

"But I'm helping," Paul called.

Percy groaned, but apparently didn't feel like arguing. "Fine!" he replied, obviously not happy about it. Paul chuckled. He knew Percy would thank him later, when he didn't have to battle with his dyslexia to make out the instructions. Paul walked to the living room, where Percy was opening the box.

They got to work. Paul let Percy do most of the work, which was fine by both of them. Paul's hands were still defrosting, and he knew that trying to turn a screwdriver would not be an easy task with partially numb hands. So, he sat, reading the instructions and handing Percy the needed materials, while the demigod put the table together.

They were almost finished, when Sally joined them, sitting down on the couch next to Annabeth, whom Paul hadn't seen come in. Paul noticed Percy look up from screwing a leg onto the table. He met Annabeth's eyes for a second, who nodded slightly, and Percy looked back to the table.

"Have you ever been to California?" Percy asked suddenly. Annabeth had lived in California for a few years, so Paul knew he wasn't talking about her. That meant he was referring to him and Sally.

"No, why?" Sally asked. Paul nodded that this was his answer too.

"Well, "Percy answered, "I was thinking we should go there."

"What do you mean?" Paul asked curiously.

"Like as a vacation. I mean, I've only ever been there on quests, or on my way to the Roman camp, with Amnesia and gorgons on my tail. You guys haven't ever been there," Percy replied.

"And you want to go?" Sally asked.

Percy shrugged. "Well, Jason's been bugging me to visit Camp Jupiter lately. Me and Annabeth were-"

"Annabeth and I," Sally and Paul corrected simultaneously.

Percy blinked. "Uh, yeah," he said before continuing, "Anyway, we were talking earlier, and we both have to go, because… you know. So I figured we all should go. I mean, we've never been on a real vacation, other than Montauk. I think it'd be fun. Me and- _Annabeth and I_ could spend a day or two at the Roman camp, and then we could just use the rest of the time as a vacation. We could visit the Chases too."

"But, Percy," Sally said, "Paul and I aren't allowed at the camp. What would we do while you and Annabeth were there?"

"Like I said," replied Percy with a grin, "Spend the time as a vacation. You guys never really got a honeymoon. You could be alone for a few days." That _did_ sound tempting. Paul was liking this idea.

"When would we do that?" Paul asked, "You two will be at Camp Half-Blood for the summer, won't you?"

"I was actually thinking Spring Break," Percy replied. "It's for almost two weeks this year. That'd be more than enough time."

"What about air travel?" Sally asked, "You can't do it."

Percy shrugged. "Honestly," he said, "I could talk to Zeus and get permission, he owes me big time, but I have a better idea, cheaper too. We could sail." Percy lit up like a Christmas tree at the word _sail._

"To the other side of the country?" Paul asked, "That would take-"

"Son of Poseidon," Percy answered with a smile, "I could get us there just as fast as a plane. Maybe faster."

Paul was liking this idea more and more. He looked at Sally. She seemed to be thinking about it.

"That all sounds great, Percy, it really does, but there's one problem. Spring Break is in less than a month," she told him.

"I think we could make it work," Percy answered, "We could stay with Annabeth's family." He turned to the other demigod, who had been so quiet during the conversation, that Paul had almost forgotten she was there. "Is that okay with you?" Percy asked her.

She shrugged and nodded. "Yeah. My dad would love that," she said.

Percy smiled and looked back and forth between his parents, waiting for an answer. Paul didn't see why not.

"I'm okay with it," he said. Percy grinned and turned to his mother.

"Sure," she said, "It will be nice to visit somewhere else for a change."

Percy smiled. "Awesome," he said. He'd finished putting the table together during the conversation. He stood it up, and stepped back, admiring his work.

"Thank you, Percy," Sally said, "Good job."

Percy turned to Paul. "Are you sure I can't pay for-"

"No!" Paul said.

Percy sighed, "Fine," he said, turning to leave. "I'm gonna go IM Jason and tell him I'll be there next month." He left the room.

"I'll come with you," Annabeth said, getting up and following him out.

"Hey, Annabeth," Paul called before she was out of the room. The daughter of Athena turned.

"Yeah?" she answered.

"Are you okay with this?" Paul asked her, "You seem kind of apprehensive."

Annabeth shook her head. "I'm okay. It's just weird for me at Camp Jupiter. My mother's Roman counterpart, Minerva, is much different from Athena, and she doesn't have demigod children. They're both maiden goddesses, but…" she trailed off. Paul remembered the stories of Athena and how her children came to be. He could understand why Annabeth wasn't fond of speaking about her birth, and why the Romans didn't have children of Minerva.

"Got it." Paul said.

"I _do_ want to go, don't worry," Annabeth replied. "Thanks Paul." She smiled at him gratefully and left the room.

Paul sat down on the couch, next to Sally. She leaned into him. "We're going on vacation," she murmured.

"Yeah," Paul replied, "Have I ever told you that Percy is the best kid in the world?"

Sally chuckled. "I knew that already."

Paul sat there with Sally, discussing plans for their trip. He was excited. This was their first real family vacation. He was going to get to spend time with Sally, and relax in the sun. He couldn't wait.

Part of him was concerned about Annabeth and her obvious unease with visiting the Romans. However, Annabeth was stubborn. If she really wasn't okay with going, Paul knew she wouldn't.

She was a great girl, and Paul was glad that Percy had her. The fact that she was willing to put herself in an uncomfortable position with the other camp, just so she and Percy didn't have to be apart proved that much. She needed a father figure in life, for the times when her relationship with her real father was rocky, and Paul was glad he was able to be that for her. Annabeth was like family. He loved her like he loved Percy, which is to say, as his own.

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**Like it? Let me know!**

**So I'm planning on writing the trip to California in two or three parts, cause if I don't, it will be super long. Just so you know :)**

**Next chapter soon!**

**Please review!**


	16. The Rest of the Way

**Here's Chapter 16! Hope you like it!**

_**Heres a heads up: I had this idea of ending this story at the one year mark of Percy and Annabeth's return from Tartarus. So the story will be the course of a year. What do you think?**_

_**This story will be followed by the one of Percy and Annabeth later in life- marriage, kids, etc.**_

**Please R&R!**

**Disclaimer: PJO characters do not belong to me.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Paul sat down for the first time in what felt like hours.

He, Percy, and Annabeth had just gotten home, and boy was he happy about it. Fridays were always difficult for teachers, especially the last class of the day. Add a two week vacation that begins after that Friday, and forget about it. To put it mildly, the day had been a long one.

The students had been excited for the start of Spring Break, and pretty much nothing productive had gotten done all day. Paul's excitement for their trip to California probably didn't help matters much either, but, _finally,_ he was home. They were planning on leaving around four o-clock. It was after three now.

They were sailing. Percy had insisted he could get them to California in the same amount of time a plane could. Plus, sailing was much safer for Percy, who, being the son of Poseidon, didn't really belong in the air. Sally seemed happier with this arrangement too, which Paul could understand, being her parents died in a plane crash.

Paul got up and went to see if Sally needed any last minute things done. He poked his head into the kitchen, where Sally was preparing dinner, which would be taken with them and eaten on the way, kind of like a picnic at sea.

"Need any help?" Paul asked her.

Sally turned around to look at him. "No, I've got it in here, thanks though. My suitcase is on the bed, if you want to bring it out."

Paul walked to their bedroom to get his and Sally's suitcases. Whenever they went somewhere, Sally liked to have everything placed in the hallway by the door. This way, she could take inventory and make sure everything that was going with them got there. Paul liked this system. It made things much easier. He placed the suitcases down by the door, and walked down the hallway to Percy's –and Annabeth's-room.

Paul heard Annabeth speaking as he neared the bedroom.

"-believe you haven't done this yet, Seaweed Brain," she was saying.

Paul peeked through the open doorway. Inside, Annabeth sat cross-legged on the bed, holding a book, watching, as Percy scrambled about, opening and closing drawers, and tossing articles of clothing onto the bed in front of Annabeth. The growing pile at the foot of his bed wasn't a neat one. Almost nothing was folded, and it looked on the verge of toppling over, but Percy just kept adding to it.

He had gotten better at keeping a clean bedroom since getting home. Paul wasn't sure if it was another affect of Tartarus, or because Annabeth was also living out of that room, though he suspected the latter, but it was still far from organized. It was obvious which dresser held Percy's clothes and which one held Annabeth's.

"I forgot," Percy replied, not looking up from the dresser drawer he was currently shuffling through, "Besides, I've been a little busy. We had five tests today. _Five!_ All of which, I had to study for, since I'd never hear the end of it from _someone_ if I didn't pass them all."

By "someone," Percy obviously meant Annabeth. Paul didn't know how she did it, but she'd somehow managed to get Percy's GPA up this year to a B-. Previous years, it had been a D. Someone should give the girl a medal.

"That's not an excuse," Annabeth replied, looking back down to the look in her lap, "I got my packing done."

Percy tossed another T-shirt to the unstable pile, causing some of it to topple to the floor. Percy didn't seem to notice, but closed the current drawer, opened the next, and continued digging. "Yeah, but you're Annabeth," Percy answered, "I don't know how you do it, but you manage to get everything done on time, get straight A's, and still have time to bug me about how I should have packed already. You're like superwoman."

Percy said all of that without looking up from the drawer and it's contents, occasionally tossing pieces of clothing over his shoulder. Annabeth kept focused on her book, but Paul could see a small smile appear on her face at Percy's compliment.

"Knock knock," Paul said, making his presence known. Annabeth looked at him and smiled. Percy looked too, which was the first time he'd looked away from the drawers since Paul had gotten there.

"Hi," Annabeth answered, while Percy went back to digging.

"Need some help?" Paul asked.

"Please," Percy replied, gratefully. Paul picked up the clothes off the floor and sat down across from Annabeth. He began folding and sorting them into organized piles. Annabeth put her book down and helped him.

"You _do _realize we're leaving at four, right Percy?" Annabeth asked as she folded a pair of his cargo shorts.

"Yeah, why?" Percy replied from the dresser.

"Because it's three- thirty five now,"" Annabeth answered, glancing at the alarm clock on the nightstand.

Percy looked up for a second. "Already?" he asked, incredulously. Annabeth nodded. Percy dug faster, tossing another pair of shorts to the pile.

The three worked in silence for another minute, until Percy miscalculated with one of his tosses and ended up hitting Annabeth in the face with a pair of swim trunks.

"Watch it, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth scolded playfully.

"Sorry," Percy replied as he moved to the closet.

"You know," she said jokingly, as she folded a pair of Percy's checkered boxers, "Somehow, when I first started dating you, Percy, I never thought I'd be sitting here folding your underwear while you raced around like a crazy person, trying to pack last minute for a trip you've been looking forward to for a month." Paul smiled.

"Yeah, well- wait, _what?_" Percy responded, "Why are you folding my _underwear_?" By now, Paul was holding back laughter.

"Because someone has to," Annabeth replied simply, like it was the most normal thing in the world. Percy opened his mouth to protest, but she continued, grinning, "Besides, it's good practice for the future, because I'm willing to bet that you aren't going to be the one folding laundry when we're married, and, yes, Percy, your boxers are included in the term 'laundry.'"

Percy blinked, slightly redder than usual, but he apparently didn't have a response to that, and turned back to the closet. He finished his raid and joined them on the bed with a blue suitcase. He started stuffing the folded clothes into it, starting with the boxers previously mentioned, and quickly burying them with the pile of T-shirts.

Paul wondered when he would get over his shock of how easily the two spoke about a future together. He knew that, one day, they would end up marrying. Heck, he'd even seen Percy looking at engagement rings in a jewelry store, but it still blew his mind every time. After all, they _were_ only seventeen, regardless of what they'd been through. Not very often were seventeen year olds able to talk about marriage. Paul knew it would happen though. The thought of Percy marrying anyone else just seemed wrong…

Five minutes later, Percy zipped the suitcase closed. He walked over and grabbed Annabeth's suitcase, carrying it over to his own.

"Hallway?" he asked Paul, a suitcase in each hand.

"Hallway," Paul agreed with a smile. He and Annabeth followed Percy out and into the hall, where he set the luggage down. Sally met them there.

"Ready?" she asked them.

They all answered that they were.

"And you two have your weapons?" she asked the demigods. Percy pulled Riptide out of his pocket, while Annabeth smiled and nodded.

"Okay," Sally said, "I think we're ready then." Paul couldn't blame her for worrying about Percy and Annabeth having packed their weapons. He knew about the increase of monsters in California, and he was glad to be reassured, because, unfortunately, the monsters wouldn't care if they were on vacation. Hey, one can still hope, right?

* * *

Paul finished loading the luggage onto the boat with Percy. They had rented a sailboat for the trip, which had been surprisingly cheaper than airline tickets would have been, and Percy loved it. Paul didn't really trust it to hold up in the ocean for thousands of miles, but he trusted the son of Poseidon's judgment, and _he_ said it would be fine. It wasn't great for sleeping, but they would hopefully arrive in California, according to Percy, no later than one in the morning, which was still late, but manageable. Paul knew nothing of boats, and wouldn't be much help in getting it ready to go, so he simply took a seat next to Sally, put an arm around her, and watched his stepson go to work.

He couldn't believe his eyes. The boat seemed to respond to Percy's every wish. He simply snapped his fingers, and the ropes moved themselves. The sail hoisted itself in a matter of seconds, and before Paul knew it, they were moving out to sea.

"I take it you've done this before," Paul said, slightly amazed.

Percy looked at him and grinned. "With a sailboat, no. Though I have sailed a pirate ship, a row boat with no oars, and the Argo II.

"A pirate ship?" asked Sally?

"A rowboat with no oars?" Annabeth asked, obviously confused.

"Yeah," Percy said. He answered Sally's question first. "You know the stories of Blackbeard the Pirate?" Paul and Sally nodded. "Well he was actually a demigod."

"Son of Ares," Annabeth added helpfully.

"Yeah. Well, he and his crew were… trapped at this island for a long time." Annabeth chuckled, but Percy ignored her and continued, "When Annabeth and I were in the sea of monsters, we washed up on the island and freed them, but we were kinda chased off and ended up taking their ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge."

"You stole a ship from a pirate?" Sally asked, horrified.

"Percy shrugged. "Yeah," he answered nonchalantly.

"What about the rowboat?" Annabeth asked, "I don't remember that."

"It was the boat Frank, Hazel, and I took to Alaska," Percy told her.

"Oh," Annabeth responded, like this cleared everything up.

"Wait a minute," Paul said, "You took a rowboat with no oars from California all the way to _Alaska_?"

"Yeah," Percy answered easily, "Until it fell apart." He shrugged.

Paul blinked. "Okay then," he said finally, "So you've only really sailed _three times_?"

Percy nodded. "Well, I canoe at camp all the time. I'm really good at it, actually, but, in the open sea, yeah."

* * *

Sally served dinner a little while later, which Percy ate standing at the front of the ship. He didn't bother steering, but he still had to watch where they were going. To Paul, it was pretty much the coolest thing ever, but it seemed totally natural to Percy. He seemed so at home here, so comfortable, in the middle of the ocean. Paul realized that made sense, being who he was, but still…

* * *

They made good time and ended up reaching California a little after midnight. They were staying the first week at a hotel, and the second week with Annabeth's family. The demigods were heading to the Roman Camp the next day, and Paul and Sally would have a few days to spend to themselves.

This vacation was just what everyone needed. Everything had been so stressful since Percy and Annabeth had returned home eight months ago, and some well deserved rest was in order. Paul couldn't wait.

Right now, though, he just wanted to sleep. He'd been up early for work that morning, and it was catching up to him. They checked into the hotel, where they had reserved two adjoining rooms, and got ready for bed.

Paul was practically asleep the second his head hit the pillow. His only thought before drifting off was that hopefully, this trip would help heal Percy and Annabeth the rest of the way.

Or, at least, almost.

* * *

**Like it? Lemme know!**

_**ALSO: I am thinking about writing Percy and Annabeth's visit to Camp Jupiter as a one shot like i did with Percy's visit to CHB that time. Should I? Please let me know if you want me to do this.**_

_**I know, I'm asking you a lot of stuff, but I want to know what you all think!**_

**As always, a huge THANK YOU to all the reviewers! I LOVE YOU GUYS! Thanks so much!**

**Anyway, hope you liked this chapter!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-LiveLaughLove728**


	17. Author's Note

**THIS IS NOT A CHAPTER! SORRY!**

**Hey guys,**

**I'm super sorry, but I'm taking a few days off from this story. I have school starting on Monday and I went to get my schedule today and ended up with summer homework I didn't know I had. (I just moved and only got half of it when I registered for school here)**

**So, until it is done, I can't update. I'M SO SORRY! :(**

**It will hopefully only be like 3 days, but I figured you all should know. Again, I'm sorry.**

**Thank you so much to everyone who has followed/favorited this story and for all the reviews. I love you all. Next chapter will definitely be up within a week, along with the Camp Jupiter one-shot I mentioned in the last chapter's AN, but I need to get all of this work done first!**

**Thanks for understanding. I am ****_by no means_**** stopping this story, I promise. **

**Sorry!**

**-LiveLaughLove728**


	18. Changed

**I'm back! Thank you guys sooooo much for waiting! Sorry, but I really was buried in homework. I didn't leave my room for like three days straight... It was terrible. But, anyway, school has started, so things should even out now. I probably won't update as frequently as I was, but it will still be at least once a week, probably twice as long as things don't get to crazy.**

**Anyway, this story has 142 followers! Awesome! Thank you so much!**

_**You know how I mentioned last chapter about a one-shot for Percy and Annabeth's trip to Camp Jupiter? Well it's currently in the works. Actually, it's done, but I have to edit it and stuff. If I don't have it up by tonight, count on tomorrow! And it will probably be a few chapters, not a one-shot, just so you know! I'll let you all know the title next chapter, since I don't know what it is yet :)**_

**Here's the Chapter 17! I wanted it to be longer, but I'm saving the original idea for next chapter, cause I liked where this ended up going instead. Hope you like it!**

**As always, please R&R. Enjoy!**

_Disclaimer: PJO and all it's characters belong to Rick Riordan!_

* * *

Paul laid back on the blanket, with his hands behind his head, eyes closed, taking in the sunshine. They were at the beach, and greatly enjoying it. Paul had been to other beaches before, but this one surpassed the others by far. There was something about California...

It was a beautiful sunny day. They were at a small beach and it was, surprisingly, not very crowded, not that Paul was complaining. Sally was next to him, relaxing and enjoying life.

After a minute, she sighed and sat up. Paul opened one eye and squinted against the sun at her.

"We should get going," she said, staring at the water, she sounded like she wanted to do no such thing.

Paul mimicked her in sighing and sitting up, glancing at a nearby building that had the date and time projected. It was 12:03. They were meeting Percy and Annabeth at a local restaurant at 1:30. That left them with a little over an hour to head back to their hotel, shower from the beach, and get to the restaurant.

Unfortunately, Sally was right.

"I know," he answered unhappily. It wasn't that he didn't want to meet the teenagers for lunch, quite the opposite really. He had just been really comfortable laying there, and hadn't felt like moving.

He helped his wife fold the blanket and carried the chairs. They were only a few blocks from the beach, so they'd walked. He regretted that decision now, being covered in sand and wet, but San Francisco _was_ a beautiful city, and he decided that he would survive.

Paul, Sally, Percy, and Annabeth had been in California for two days now. This was their third. However, the group had been separated for most of the time. The demigods had been visiting the Romans at Camp Jupiter for the last two days, so it had been just Paul and Sally. That had been fine with Paul, but he _was_ starting to miss Percy and Annabeth.

That was when he realized just how much things had changed over the last year. Paul and Sally had been married for about two and a half years, and he'd loved every minute of it. He loved her with all his heart and soul, and he wouldn't change a thing.

However, it wasn't until late that past year that Paul had really come to love Percy as his son. Sure, he'd always liked him, enjoyed being around him, but he'd never really considered himself a father. He was a step-father, sure, but a father? That was different. However, those months when Percy had been missing had sparked something. That was when Paul realized how much he really had grown to love Percy. He hadn't quite achieved that father-son love yet, but he was getting closer.

Annabeth had started visiting them regularly after that, and Paul had gotten to know her.

Then the quest had started, and a few weeks went by with no word. The next thing Paul knew, Chiron was telling him and Sally that Percy and Annabeth had fallen into Tartarus.

_Tartarus._

The literal pits of hell.

Paul couldn't believe it. He wouldn't, because he didn't want to. He refused to believe that it was true. It just couldn't be…

When Paul had opened the front door that night, to find Percy and Annabeth standing there, he was so shocked, ecstatic, worried, relieved, overjoyed, terrified, amazed, startled, and so many other things, all at once, Paul didn't know how to react. He couldn't do anything but hug Percy, whom he really had missed, so much. No, he hadn't reached fatherhood yet, but he was pretty darn close.

Those next few months were some of the best and the worst, all at the same time. They were hard, so hard, but Paul finally began to see those small improvements, those _painstakingly _slow improvements, and each brought him a little bit closer.

He wasn't sure exactly when he began to think of himself as Percy's dad. He just knew that one day he did, and it wasn't a foreign concept anymore. He was comfortable with it, happy. That could be said for Annabeth too, though it wasn't quite the same. Annabeth was like a daughter to him, but not in the way Percy was his son. He loved her, but not like he did Percy. He wasn't really sure how to describe it, he just knew that he did.

Paul thought about all of this as he walked, and realized that things really had changed, but definitely for the better. He wasn't that single man he had been only a little over three years ago. Now, not only was he a husband, but he was a father, and he couldn't imagine it any other way.

Two years ago, Paul could have gone the whole two week vacation alone with Sally, and he wouldn't have even given it a second thought. Percy and Annabeth had changed him. They'd opened his eyes to a possibility he never would have thought twice about otherwise. They'd softened his heart.

Sure, the thought of having kids of his own had crossed his mind, years ago, but it had never really been a huge concern, more of a "If it happens, great; if not, no big deal" kind of thing.

He couldn't believe how blind he'd been.

They arrived back at the hotel and managed to get showered and ready in time. The restaurant wasn't very far, but they decided to drive, being it was already 1:15, and they had rented a car for the week. Paul drove, and they managed to find the place relatively easily. Paul took Sally's hand, and led her to the front of the restaurant, where Percy had said they'd meet them. He led her to a bench, and sat down with her.

They waited for about five minutes, before Paul noticed a somewhat familiar car pull in. It was the rental Percy had taken to Camp Jupiter. He'd rented it for today too, so he and Annabeth could get back. Paul could barely make out the black dishevel of hair behind the wheel, but he was certain it was them.

A minute later, Percy and Annabeth approached them, holding hands and smiling. They looked happy, and Paul assumed their visit with the Romans had gone well. He'd been concerned about Annabeth, and her obvious reluctance to go at first, but now, she looked like she was glad she'd gone, which made Paul feel better. He and Sally stood to greet them as they came near.

"Hey," Percy greeted, kissing Sally on the cheek.

"Hi," Annabeth said, at the same time Percy did. Paul hugged her hello and greeted Percy.

"How was Camp Jupiter?" Sally asked.

"It was great," Annabeth replied, while Percy just smiled and nodded. Paul was satisfied with this answer, and he was glad things had worked out for her after all.

"How was your two days without us?" Percy asked, half joking, half serious.

"Wonderful," Sally replied.

Paul nodded, smiling. "Let's go inside," he said, "I'm sure you all are hungry. I know I am."

After nodding their agreement, the four made their way inside. As they sat down, Paul couldn't help feeling glad that his family was all together again. They still had a week and a half before they had to go back to New York, and he was determined to enjoy every second of it.

And it was safe to say:

He couldn't wait.

* * *

**Let me know what you thought! Thanks for reading!**

**Until next chapter,**

**LivelaughLove728**


	19. Turning Point

**Hey! Here's Chapter 18! This chapter is extra long, cause I just love you all so much!**

_**The first chapter of the Two-shot/Three-shot (not sure which yet) about Percy and Annabeth's visit to Camp Jupiter is up! It is called A New Perspective. So, please read, if you haven't done so already. I will be updating it (hopefully) sometime this weekend!**_

**Anyway, Please R&R! (I like this chapter a lot! Hopefully you will too!)**

**Disclaimer: PJO belongs to Rick Riordon!**

**Oh! By the way: I made Annabeth's stepmom's name Theresa in this chapter. In the book, her name isn't mentioned, but like 90% of Fanfiction has her name as Helen, so I thought I'd make it something different. If you don't like that name, just replace it with one of your own!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Paul put an arm around his wife, who sat next to him in the back seat of their rental car. Percy was driving and Annabeth was in the passenger seat, navigating. They were making their way through San Francisco traffic (which, by the way, was absolutely nothing compared to that of New York) to the Chase residence, which was where the second week of their vacation would be spent.

Paul had let the demigods take over getting them there. He'd never met Annabeth's family, much less been to their house. He'd never even been to California before this. So when Percy had asked if he could drive, Paul had happily, and rather gratefully, obliged.

Since Percy and Annabeth had come back from Camp Jupiter, the Jackson-Blofis family (and Chase, if you don't count Annabeth as part of that) had spent the majority of their week sightseeing, visiting different places in town, and, much to Percy's delight, at the beach. They had even gone scuba diving, which everyone had really enjoyed, except Percy, who really hadn't seemed at all fazed by it, and hadn't been very happy with having to wear scuba gear and an oxygen tank, due to the rest of the mortals. Deep down though, Paul knew, Percy was glad to have been able to show off some of his father's domain to his family.

To put it mildly, it had been a really great week.

Along the way, Paul had learned that Annabeth's parents still didn't know about her and Percy's trip through Tartarus the previous year. Annabeth had explained her reason for not telling them when she'd visited last November as having been too soon after, to even try to explain. That made sense, but Paul knew her parents would have noticed. They had to. Any half-thinking person with eyes would have noticed. Granted, Percy and Annabeth both looked worlds better than they had six months ago, but they still didn't look back to the way they had before the quest, and part of Paul wondered if they ever would. He couldn't help thinking that things could get interesting this week, especially when it came time to go to bed…

After driving for almost thirty minutes, Percy pulled the car into the driveway of a white house. As Paul got out of the car, he noticed Percy looked a little nervous, as he grabbed Annabeth's bag for her. Paul realized that, as far as he knew, this would be the first time Percy would be visiting Fredrick Chase as Annabeth's boyfriend. He could understand why that would be a little nerve- wracking. He met his stepson's eyes and gave a reassuring nod. Percy smirked a little, but still looked pretty nervous.

Once at the door, Annabeth knocked and took a step back. Paul guessed she normally would have grabbed her boyfriend's hand, had he not been loaded down with suitcases. The front door opened, revealing a short, friendly looking Asian woman. She smiled at them all, hugging Annabeth, then Percy. Paul was kind of surprised at the affection she showed the demigods. He'd heard the overall story of Annabeth's childhood from Percy, and he hadn't been expecting Annabeth's stepmother to be so… nice.

After they were let inside, Annabeth's stepmother, who had introduced herself as Theresa, called up the stairs, "Fredrick! They're here!" Just as she said that, two boys, maybe nine or ten, came barreling into the foyer, almost knocking into Percy. It looked like one was trying to grab something away from the other, but Paul couldn't tell what, because the one holding it was waving it around, trying to keep it out of his brother's reach.

"Boys," Theresa called sharply, "That's enough." She grabbed the thing- Paul could see it was a TV remote, now that it wasn't moving- away from her son so quickly, that Paul knew she'd had practice doing so.

"But mom, he-" the boy, who had been trying to grab the remote, began.

"I don't care, Matthew," Theresa interrupted, "Stop fighting. We have guests. Say hello to your sister."

The boys turned to face Annabeth, Percy, Sally, and Paul, as if realizing for the first time that they were there.

"Hey, Annie," the boy, Paul assumed was Bobby, greeted his sister, grinning evilly like he knew exactly how much she hated being called that, and was doing it anyway. Annabeth, who apparently had been expecting that, just shook her head, as if amused by her little brother's antics.

"Hi, Bobby," Annabeth replied easily, "Hey Matthew." The twins hugged their sister simultaneously, which warmed Paul's heart to see. They were siblings right down to the core; no matter how much they annoyed one another, they really did care for each other when it came down to it. Paul had been there five minutes, and he could already see this.

Paul turned to see a blonde, middle aged man walking down the stairs, smiling widely. He hugged his daughter, and it seemed more natural than Paul had expected. After pulling away, Fredrick shook hands with Paul and Sally, before turning to Percy. Percy, who was slightly taller than Annabeth's father, eyed him warily. Fredrick's face broke into a grin. "Percy Jackson," he said, "You've grown a bit." An obvious understatement. Over the last three years, Percy had grown at least six inches, and, even after Tartarus, had filled out a lot.

Percy blinked. "Um, yes sir," he said.

"Come on now, Percy. None of this _sir _nonsense. Call me Fredrick." Fredrick told him, grinning openly now.

Percy managed a small smile, "Um, okay." He answered, still rather uncertainly.

"Wait," Matthew said, "_You're_ Percy? I remember you! You're my sister's boyfriend!"

"Yeah," Bobby chimed in, "We've heard _all about_ you!'

Percy took on a scared expression and snuck a glance at Annabeth. "You have?" he questioned.

"OKAY!" Annabeth interrupted, "That's enough!" she turned to Theresa, "Do you want to give the tour, or should I?" Theresa simply smiled and nodded.

"Of course," she said, and began leading them around the house. Paul followed, but not before he saw Annabeth give her brothers a "_I didn't tell you anything, and you know it, so you better shut it because I have years of battle experience, and I'm not afraid to use it" _look, and Fredrick watch Percy follow Annabeth, grabbing her hand, with a "Not-quite-so-happy-about-this" look. Paul inwardly sighed. This week was going to be interesting.

Paul sat down next to Sally, at a table that was practically overflowing with food. The conversation started off normally enough. Fredrick asked about New York, work, school, and the trip down, and was answered mostly by Paul and Sally, while Percy and Annabeth just stared at each other, like they were having a silent conversation, seemingly oblivious to the world. Paul could tell they were both concerned; about what exactly, he wasn't sure, but he had a pretty good idea. The time to sleep was fast- approaching, and they couldn't be separated, could they? It had been seven months, but Paul knew everything was different in the dark. No matter how good the day was, the night always brought terrors, and they'd never had to face them alone. The one time they'd had to try had not turned out well, and both ended up not sleeping for the duration of their three day separation.

A whole week of no sleep just wouldn't be possible, would it? They weren't fully mortal, but surely they still had limits.

It was pretty obvious that sleeping in separate rooms wasn't an option, and they knew it, but how were Annabeth's parents going to take that one?

Paul was jolted back to reality by Fredrick asking, "So, Annabeth, are you going to tell us what happened yet?"

Annabeth looked away from Percy, hesitating. Paul knew what he meant, and apparently, so did the two of them. Percy stiffened slightly, stealing a concerned glance at Annabeth. Annabeth took a deep breath, but didn't say anything. Fredrick just sighed and turned his attention to Percy.

"What about you?" he asked him. "I know you were there too, wherever _there_ is. I can see it in your eyes. I saw it in Annabeth when she was here last November, and I can see it in both of you now. _What happened?_" Paul knew he probably didn't mean to sound as harsh as he did. Fredrick Chase was just concerned and scared for his daughter's well-being. He wanted answers, and wasn't getting any. It would frustrate anyone.

Percy took a deep breath, and glanced at everyone at the table, one at a time, beginning, and ending, with Annabeth. "Sir," he began carefully, "You deserve to know," he glanced at Annabeth, and continued, "But not right now. I promise you, I will explain every- as much as I can, but not now. Later tonight. You have my word." Fredrick was quiet for a minute, but the absolute sincerity in Percy's voice must have been enough to convince him.

Dinner continued on, and Annabeth and Percy were back to their silent conversation.

* * *

Paul sat on the couch in the living room, with Sally beside him. Percy and Annabeth sat on the loveseat to their left. The Chases were putting Bobby and Matthew to bed, and had said they would meet them in a few minutes. Technically, this was a meeting between Percy, Annabeth, Theresa, and Fredrick, but the demigods had asked Paul and Sally to be there too. For what, Paul wasn't entirely sure, but he figured it was as witnesses of their former poor state, or maybe for moral support. Either option worked.

All was quiet. Annabeth had her head against Percy's shoulder, eyes closed, but Paul knew she was far from asleep. Percy had his arm around her, and was busy untangling video game wires: a promise he had made in order for the nine year old twins to agree to go to bed. From what Paul had heard, Percy was notorious for doing the exact same thing when he was younger, and had become somewhat of a pro. The real reason for doing so, Paul knew, was probably just to keep his ADHD hands moving.

Another few minutes passed, before Fredrick and Theresa walked in, and sat down; Theresa on the couch next to Sally, Fredrick in the armchair across from the demigods. Percy put the almost untangled wires on the coffee table and Annabeth sat up. After about a minute of now awkward silence, Fredrick sat forward and spoke up, staring intently at the teenagers, namely Percy. "What's going on?" he asked gently, earnestly.

Percy took a deep breath, but it was Annabeth who spoke up. "Dad," she said, "do you remember that letter I sent you last winter, saying I was going to be away from camp for a few months and not to write me?"

Fredrick thought for a minute, "Yes," he answered.

"Well, I was away because Percy had gone missing, and I was trying to find him."

Percy and Annabeth told them everything, alternating telling certain parts and point of views. Annabeth explained the six months, during which, Percy had been missing and Jason had shown up with Leo and Piper, the three of them going on their quest, and building the Argo II. Percy told of waking up at the Wolf House with no memory and his time at Camp Jupiter, his quest with Frank and Hazel to Alaska. They continued the story of their quest from start to finish, Annabeth, her quest to find the Athena Parthenos, and Percy of their fight with the Giants.

They told of their adventure in such detail, that it was obvious that they were telling it for Paul and Sally's benefit as well. He'd really only heard about half of what had gone on, and was again amazed at the atrocious things the two seventeen year old _kids_ had been through. Sally started crying midway through and Paul just hugged her close to him.

"Then she fell over the side," Percy was saying, "and I grabbed her hand and a ledge, but we were too far down," he took a shaky breath, "I- I couldn't hold on… it was too much weight…I made Nico promise to bring the others to meet us at the other side of the doors, in Epirus… and I let go." By now, Annabeth was crying too

Normally, Percy and Annabeth tried to water down the dangerous and scary parts of their quests, but not this time. This time, they weren't leaving out a single detail, and Paul knew it wasn't just for the benefit (or otherwise) of their parents. This was a turning point for the two of them. Not only were they telling of the events _leading up_ to Tartarus, but this time, they told of what went on inside. Paul couldn't believe the things he heard. He didn't want to believe it, but he did at the same time. At least, now, _finally_, he knew what had caused such horrible side effects, such Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and he _could_ believe it. After all those months of wondering, wondering, wondering, he finally knew, and it was safe to say he was more than unhappy about it.

Not even the worst of criminals deserved that…

It was no wonder why the two still had trouble sleeping at night. Heck, Paul was sure _he'd_ have trouble sleeping that night, but he knew this was needed. Percy and Annabeth needed to do this. They needed to speak of it. All of it.

By now, Percy and Annabeth were both crying freely, no longer even trying to hide it. Tears streamed down Sally's and Theresa's faces, and tears prickled in Paul eyes too. He wanted to be strong for Percy, for Annabeth, for Sally, but this was too much. He couldn't even listen to all of this. He wanted them to stop, but at the same time, he wanted them to continue. He felt disgusted with himself. Percy and Annabeth, two seventeen year old _children_ had physically been down there, experiencing all of that, and here, Paul couldn't even listen to it… and he called himself a man…

Another thirty seconds, and Paul was crying too.

Paul wasn't sure how much time had passed when that terrible story, if one can even call it that, was finished. It could have been minutes, but it felt like hours, days even. Such description had struck fear so deep in Paul's heart, it had seemed to slow time itself. He couldn't even imagine actually physically experiencing _half_ of those terrible things…

_How had Percy and Annabeth stayed sane through all of that?_

He knew the answer to that before he even thought the whole question.

Love.

It was literally the only thing that kept them sane during all of that treachery. He'd heard that love was the most powerful thing in the world, overriding even the darkest of evils, but now he knew without a doubt that it was true. Even the _literal pits of hell_ couldn't stop the love they had for each other. It blew Paul's mind to realize that, but it almost made him feel better.

After the story finished, the living room's six occupants said nothing. What could anyone say? No amount of words could ever make up for the ugliness of what they had just heard.

Paul looked around. Everyone was still crying, including Fredrick, who had started crying around the same time that Paul had. There was no sound, even the crying was silent.

He looked back to the demigods, who now held each other, tighter than he used to believe possible, with tears pouring out faster than seemed humanly possible. Paul was certain he would never be able to look at his stepson the same way again. The admiration was just too much now, but it was mixed with the grief of knowing he'd had to go through that. Percy wasn't even his own, and he was grieved at hearing it, right down to the core of his being. What about Sally? Her tears were soaking his shirt, but she seemed paralyzed. No one moved. It was as if everyone had forgotten how to.

Suddenly, both Sally and Fredrick moved at the same time, standing and advancing toward their children, their babies. Percy and Annabeth separated when they approached, and threw themselves at their parents, who held them tight, tears flowing with renewed vigor.

Paul watched Sally and Percy, certain that he had never seen something more beautiful in his entire life, and never would again. Somehow, Sally was managing to bury Percy into her, like one would with a newborn baby, even though he was at least six inches taller than her, and much bigger. Paul wanted to join in the beauty of the moment, but part of him knew he shouldn't. No matter how close Paul and Percy had grown, Sally was his mother, his biological mother, the one who'd raised him since the day he was born. This was their moment, and it needed not be interrupted.

After a while, a long while, Percy pulled away, and approached Paul, who stood to embrace him. The hug was much shorter, and held much less depth, but it was special nonetheless.

Eventually, everyone seemed to get a hold of themselves, and stood in a misshapen circle in the center of the living room.

Paul couldn't help noticing that something was different about Percy and Annabeth, who stood so close together, it was hard to distinguish where one person ended and the next started. Their auras seemed lighter. Paul could almost see them standing taller, even though they looked terrible from crying and reliving the experiences of hell, and dead on their feet, exhausted. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off of them, one that was so blatantly obvious, now that it was gone, but had been invisible before. Paul realized that he'd seen the weight all along, but had never really _noticed_ it, but now that it was gone, it was like he was seeing two totally new people in Percy and Annabeth, or rather, two "old" people who had been hiding away for so long, and had finally come out again.

Fredrick turned to his daughter, "Annabeth, honey, I'm so sorry we gave you a hard time. You know I love you, right? We both do." He was the first one to speak since Percy and Annabeth had finished. Annabeth just looked at him, eyes still watering, and nodded.

"I love you too," she whispered back.

* * *

After another few minutes of trance like movements and quiet, the reverie broke a little.

"It's getting late," Sally pointed out in a small voice; nothing like the beautiful one Paul had fallen in love with. The other adults nodded their half-hearted agreement, however she was ignored by Percy and Annabeth, who were simply holding each other, as if their lives depended on it, which, now, Paul knew, for a while, they probably had.

Percy kissed Annabeth's head, and Paul realized that she had fallen asleep against him, and he was supporting her completely. Percy lifted his eyes to meet Fredrick's. "Sir," he said, in a voice that resembled the broken glass it had been when he'd first returned home, and also the strongest Paul had ever heard it, at the same time. "The thing is," Percy continued, "Since we've come home, Annabeth and I have hardly been separated at all. We've never slept without the other, or even tried, for that matter, except for last November, when she was here, and that didn't go well… at all. Anyway, I guess I'm asking for your permission to continue this. I promise it is not what you'd normally think when I say that. It's just so we can sleep-"

"Say no more," Fredrick interrupted, "Of course. Percy, I see now that separating you two, those months ago, was a terrible mistake on my part, and I'm sorry. I want you to know that I trust you completely, and I wouldn't want my daughter with anyone else. I shouldn't have separated you then, and I certainly will not do so now. By all means, stay with her. If it allows you both to sleep peacefully at night, than I see no alternative anyway. Yes. Absolutely, you may."

Percy nodded gratefully, "Thank you, sir. And I hope you know that I do mean it when I say that it's not what you would normally think-"

Fredrick put a hand on Percy's shoulder. "I promise you, I don't, and thank you for that, for everything," he finished, and Percy nodded.

Slowly, the group made their way out of the living room, and dispersed to their respective rooms, with Paul and Sally in the guest bedroom, and Percy staying with Annabeth in hers.

Paul stopped in the doorway, and turning toward the hallway, where Percy was carrying Annabeth toward her bedroom. Paul walked toward him, leaving Sally in the entrance to the guest room.

"Percy," Paul called quietly. Percy turned toward the sound of his name. "Listen," Paul continued, "I want you to know that I'm proud of you. Well, actually, beyond proud. Words can't describe it. You're a great kid, Percy, a great man and a great son. I just want you to know that, okay?"

Percy nodded, "Thanks, dad," he said, with a small smile.

Sally joined them, then. "Goodnight, Percy. Get some sleep. I love you, so, so much."

"Thanks, mom," Percy said, "Hold on a minute." He turned, entering the room. Paul could see him gently lay his sleeping girlfriend down on her bed. He met them back in the hallway. He hugged Paul, and then his mother. "I love you guys," he said.

"We love you too," Paul and Sally replied at the same time, eliciting a real smile from Percy.

"Goodnight," he said, and entered the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Paul followed Sally back to their room, and got himself ready for bed. He didn't know how he'd sleep after the horror-story-to-end-all-horror-stories he'd just heard, but he was going to try. They still had a week left of vacation, and, after tonight, Paul hoped it would be even better than before.

As always, he fell asleep, thanking the gods for such a great family, and, surprisingly, was met with a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

* * *

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	20. No Matter What

**Hey! Here's Chapter 19!**

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* * *

Paul couldn't remember the last time he'd been this happy. Probably not since his wedding day.

It was their last day in California, and it had been the most fun Paul had had in quite a while. To say this vacation had been much needed, would be an understatement.

Ever since Percy and Annabeth had told of the events of their most recent quest, and, more importantly, of Tartarus, the two seemed like completely different people. If Paul hadn't known better, he'd say they'd never visited hell. They were doing _that_ well.

Of course, they weren't one hundred percent back to normal, but they were pretty darn close. They were so close to being completely themselves again, and it had Paul's spirits soaring, along with everyone else's, especially Sally.

Since Percy and Annabeth had first come home, Paul had yet to see either of them looking like they'd gotten a good night's sleep. The dark bags under their eyes had been there for so long, He had almost forgotten what the two looked like without them.

But the morning of the first day spent at the Chase residence changed that.

* * *

Paul was sitting at the table, in the Chases' kitchen, at around eight in the morning, with Fredrick, while Sally and Theresa cooked enough breakfast to feed a small army. Percy, Annabeth, Matthew, and Bobby hadn't gotten up yet.

The adults were having nice conversation on various topics, but never about the topic that was obviously on everyone's mind, the elephant in the room: the events from the previous night. It seemed they talked about everything but that, and honestly, Paul wasn't sure he wanted to talk about _that _anyway.

After a few minutes, breakfast was almost ready, and Paul was having a nice conversation with Fredrick about the history of bi-planes, most of which, he didn't understand, but it was interesting nonetheless. At that moment, Percy and Annabeth walked in, holding hands, and when Paul saw them, it took every ounce of his resistance, to not jump up and shout out in celebration right there. To anyone looking at the two from the outside, one wouldn't notice anything out of the ordinary, but to Paul, it was huge. A hundred emotions swirled inside him, all at once, and all he could do was stare, unable to do or say anything else, his conversation with Fredrick, long forgotten.

The demigods entered the kitchen, smiling and happy. Paul wasn't sure if anyone else had even noticed them yet, never mind the change in them. He wasn't sure if anyone beside himself, and Sally, of course, would ever notice it; but _he_ sure did.

It was like two completely different people had just walked into the kitchen. Two people who were so foreign, compared to the day before, and yet so familiar at the same time.

The change, in all honestly, wasn't that big of one. Had Paul not been around the two almost every single day since they'd returned from Tartarus, he probably wouldn't have noticed it, but he had been, and he most certainly _did_ notice it.

Normally, after first waking up in the morning, Percy and Annabeth were not happy. It was always pretty obvious each morning that nightmares had plagued them the night before, right up to when they'd woken up, and they'd always had the dark circles to prove it. This morning, however, was different.

Right now, Percy and Annabeth looked well rested for the first time Paul had seen since his stepson had first gone missing; now approaching two years ago. Not only that, but their demeanor was different, enough to make Paul believe that, for once, they really had slept well.

All these mixed emotions and thoughts crossed Paul's mind, faster than seemed possible, in the short time it took the two demigods to walk into the kitchen and announce their presence to everyone else with "Good morning."

Paul tore his eyes, for the first time, off of Percy and Annabeth, and to his wife. He watched as Sally turned around, away from the counter, with a smile on her face, ready to greet her son and almost-daughter. When she saw them, her smile morphed into something between shock, surprise, and jubilation. Paul noticed her eyes tearing up a bit, and she quickly tried to hide it.

The teenagers must have noticed the odd looks and emotion displayed on their parents' faces, no matter how well said parents tried to hide it, because their smiles wavered and their eyebrows knit together.

"What?" Percy asked, sounding confused, but his tone gave him away. He knew exactly _what,_ and Paul knew Sally knew this too. The four exchanged knowing looks, while the confused Mr. and Mrs. Chase looked from the scene before them, to each other, and back again, with questioning glances. Then, Percy and Annabeth took their seats at the table and accepted Sally's offer of breakfast, as if nothing had happened at all.

* * *

That day, five days ago, was the day Paul started believing that maybe Percy and Annabeth really would recover fully, rather than just enough to move on.

Now, Paul sat, thinking about that morning, as he watched the demigods. Tomorrow, the Jackson-Blowfis family would be heading back to New York, back to work, back to school, back to life. Today was their last full day on vacation, and they were determined to make the best of it, not that they hadn't been doing so the whole time. It had been decided unanimously that morning, that today would be a relaxing one, one last day to enjoy California and each other; and the beach seemed like a good place to do this.

Granted, they had been to the beach numerous times already, but this time was different. They had no other plans for that day, no set routine. It really was just a time to relax and enjoy the sunshine.

Paul and Sally sat on the beach blanket, the Chases on the one beside them, the twins next to their parents, Matthew burying Bobby in the sand. Despite it being a weekday, Paul was surprised that they were the only ones at this section of the beach, but hey, he wasn't complaining. He put his arm around Sally and pulled her close to him. She rested her head against his shoulder. The two of them watched Percy and Annabeth, who stood at the shoreline, holding hands, and staring out at the vastness before them.

Paul constantly wondered when he would stop being amazed at the beauty of the love shared between the two seventeen year olds, who had literally saved the world from utter destruction numerous times and traveled through hell together. Honestly, what was he expecting? It only made sense that they'd grow closer through all of that, but it still left him awed every time.

As Paul watched, Percy let go of Annabeth's hand and started running away from her, through the sand. Annabeth chased after him, catching up, and jumping on Percy's back. Both were laughing. Annabeth leaned down and kissed him sweetly, as if the whole world had simply ceased to exist, and they were the only ones in the universe.

"EW!" called Bobby, from under a mound of sand. The demigods pulled away, and, despite turning pink, laughed. Annabeth jumped off Percy's back and grabbed his hand. Together, they made their way back to their parents, the smiles never leaving their faces.

Sally and Theresa handed out sandwiches, and the group settled down for a picnic lunch. Everything seemed perfect, like nothing would ever be wrong again.

Of course, that's when something had to go wrong.

Just as Paul finished his food, a loud roar was heard, breaking the overall peace and quiet of the sunny afternoon. Before Paul could decide whether he'd actually heard that or not, Percy groaned unhappily, stuffed the rest of his sandwich in his mouth, and stood up, pulling Riptide out of his swim suit pocket. Annabeth, set her food down, and followed suit, pulling her knife out of her bag.

"Stay here," Percy commanded the rest of them. He glanced behind him, sighed, and looked at his girlfriend. "Ready?" he asked her, unenthusiastically, and not at all concerned. Annabeth just nodded, not looking any happier about the situation, and the two ran off to challenge the approaching beast, though Paul couldn't even see it yet.

Part of Paul, in his rather confused state of mind, wondered how the two of them could be so casual about running off to battle a psychopathic, and no doubt deadly, monster. He knew they'd trained for this sort of thing for most of their lives, but still…

Percy and Annabeth didn't even make it out of sight before the monster appeared, and Paul wished he could have stayed in the dark about the whole "seeing it" thing. Of course, the Mist didn't really help with the looks of it. He wasn't sure what everyone else saw, but he didn't figure it would be much better, and was suddenly glad the beach was so empty today. Paul could sort of see through the magic veil, and sort of not, which, in the end, probably left the thing looking worse than it actually did, which wasn't saying a lot.

It was big, Paul knew that much, but the limited visibility kind of left him unsure about the rest of it. He couldn't even make out the color of it. He resorted to watching Percy and Annabeth, which probably wasn't the best idea either, being as both of them came close to dying numerous times, and Paul nearly had a heart attack every few seconds.

He snuck a glance at Sally, who seemed pretty calm about the situation, given the circumstances. He glanced at Annabeth's parents, who looked absolutely terrified and panicked, but they seemed to know that they couldn't do anything, and stayed where they were. Bobby and Matthew looked just plain scared and confused.

Paul turned his attention back to the fight, and his concern faded a little. Percy and Annabeth fought like a well-oiled machine. It was obvious they'd been fighting together for years, and trusted one another. They were seasoned warriors. That much was obvious, though the Mist was seriously worse here than it was in New York, so Paul could barely see anything. Still, he was more confident than he had been a minute ago.

He watched as Annabeth put her Yankees cap on her head, though Paul hadn't seen her grab it before, and turned invisible, obviously moving in for the kill. Percy distracted it from the front, and, _gods,_ he was a good fighter. Paul had heard rumors that he was said to be the best swordsman in the last three hundred years, and he'd seen Percy fight in the past, but something about this fight made it very clear, and Paul had no trouble believing it.

After what had felt like a very long time, but had probably been less than ten minutes, the monster exploded into a cloud of golden dust, and Annabeth shimmered into view. Percy grabbed her hand, and the two made their way back across the beach toward their stunned families, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Paul and Sally, who'd had more experience with this sort of thing than the Chases, sprang into action. Paul dug through one bag, finding and tossing ambrosia to Sally, who was ready and waiting to tend any wounds.

There was surprisingly little injury to the demigods, which just reinforced Paul's belief that the two were much more dangerous than he'd ever given them credit for in the past. Percy had a gash in his left arm and a soon-to-be black eye, while Annabeth had a gash across her back, and both had assorted scrapes and bruises. Sally broke the square of godly food in half, and handed each of them a piece. Percy, who said Annabeth's injuries were worse than his, insisted she take his portion. She, of course, rejected, but Percy was stubborn.

"Just take it, Annabeth," he said, "I'll be fine."

"Percy, you're hurt too," she countered.

"The ocean is right behind me. I'll go in for a minute and be good as new. I'd use it to heal you too, but that was kind of a onetime thing. Now just eat it." He handed her the rectangle again. Annabeth seemed to think about his proposal for a second, before deciding she approved.

"Fine, Seaweed Brain, but get going." She took the ambrosia. Percy waited. She rolled her eyes and took a bite to prove her point. Percy grinned and trotted off toward the water. He didn't even go in very much. He stood ankle deep in the sea, waves parting around him, and willed water to swirl around him, rinsing his wounds and healing them. After a minute, he let the water splash back into the ocean, and turned, running back to Annabeth, to check her now nearly non-existent, wounds.

"Show off," Annabeth muttered, giving him a look, but rolled her eyes and allowed her boyfriend to examine the long red mark going down her back, which was all that was left of the deep gash. As Paul watched, the red mark disappeared too, leaving her skin as if the injury had never been there in the first place.

The two made their way back to the blanket, as if nothing had happened, and resumed eating lunch. Annabeth's family, all four of them, stared at them, with expressions somewhere between amazement, fear, and pride. The demigods ignored them, obviously not wanting to answer the questions, which were sure to follow.

Surprisingly, no questions were asked of the attack. In fact, no one said anything for a good two minutes.

Matthew broke the silence, "You can control _water_?!" he demanded of Percy. Said demigod simply looked at the nine year old and nodded, dead serious.

"AWESOME!" both boys exclaimed at once. Percy continued eating, while the boys pounded him with questions, apparently, just now, believing the story of Percy's heritage.

"Is your dad really Poseidon?"

"Yes."

"Can you breathe underwater?"

"Yes."

"Can you talk to fish?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever seen a Great White Shark?"

"Yes."

"Do you have gills?" At this, Annabeth burst out in fits of uncontrollable laughter, while Percy made a face.

"Um, no," he said, "No more questions." He stood up, helping Annabeth to her feet, and led her back down the beach, where they walked along the shore, waves washing over their feet.

* * *

About two hours later, it was decided that they should head back to the house to get showered and dressed. Apparently, the Chases were treating them all to dinner at a local restaurant.

As the group made their way back their cars, Paul saw Fredrick approach Percy.

"Thank you for all that you've done for my daughter, Percy," he told him quietly. Only Paul, who was closest, could hear.

"No problem, sir-uh, I mean, Fredrick," Percy replied, "I would do it all over again, if it meant keeping her safe."

"I appreciate that," Fredrick said, "I'm glad she has you."

"Thank you sir," Percy answered.

As Paul got into the driver's seat, he couldn't help feeling relieved that the monster attack hadn't turned into anything major. Part of him had been worried that it would delay the progress the teenagers had made, but they had just brushed it off, and moved on, like it hadn't even happened, which relieved Paul beyond words.

* * *

As their vacation came to a close, Paul couldn't help feeling like his original hopes for this trip had come to fruition, that this vacation would heal Percy and Annabeth more. That had certainly happened, though not in the way Paul had originally expected. In the end, though, he didn't care how it had happened; only that it had. The demigods were now one step closer to normal, and he was beyond grateful for that.

He'd known from the first day that the road to recovery would be a long, hard journey for the two of them. What he hadn't known, was that it would also be a journey for him. The healing process for Percy and Annabeth, had shown Paul what it means to be a father. It hadn't been just Percy and Annabeth on that journey, it had been Paul and Sally too. All had had different reasons and expectations for said journey, but all had had the same goal, and, every day, they were getting closer to that goal.

And no matter how long it would take, Paul knew he wasn't going to give up. Heck, they'd made it this far already, and if they could do that, the end of the road to recovery couldn't be that far off.

And even if it was, they'd get there eventually.

No matter what.

* * *

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	21. Putty in Her Hands

**Hey! Here's the next chapter! Sorry! I meant to have this up a few days ago, but I was BURIED in homework this week, and literally had no time, but here it is now.**

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**Disclaimer: As always, Rick Riordan owns all PJO characters!**

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* * *

Paul stared longingly around him one last time. Today was the official last day of their vacation. They were leaving in just a few minutes, and it was obvious that not one of them wanted to.

Paul, Sally, Percy, and Annabeth had had breakfast with the Chases about an hour ago, and now they were in the driveway, loading their things into the rental car to drive to the docks, where their transportation home awaited.

Percy lifted the last suitcase into the trunk, and Paul shut the lid, exchanging melancholy smiles with his stepson. They turned and joined Sally and Annabeth, who stood with the latter's family, saying goodbye.

Paul shook Fredrick's hand. "It was good to meet you, Paul," Fredrick said with a smile.

"You too," Paul replied with a matching smile, "Take care." He turned to say goodbye to Theresa. After he did this, he noticed Percy shaking hands with Fredrick, though it was in a much more comfortable manor than the first time he'd done so.

"Take care of her," Fredrick told him quietly, almost too quietly for Paul to hear, and certainly too quiet for anyone else to, as they were all farther away.

"Absolutely," Percy answered sincerely.

The twins both gave Sally a hug goodbye, waved to Paul, and high fived Percy. Then, they turned to their sister, and they looked almost sad to see her go. They both ran to her at the same time, enveloping her in a hug.

"Bye Annie," they said quietly, but this time, Paul realized that they weren't trying to annoy their sister. Annabeth hated that nickname, and the boys probably knew it, but they called her it because she was their big sister and they loved her. This time, when they used the nickname, it was out of love and sadness, rather than obnoxious ambition, and Annabeth must have known this too.

"Bye, guys," she replied in the same tone, and Paul wondered if she'd grown closer to her little brothers during the time spent with them, and it made leaving harder this time.

A few minutes later, everyone was in the car, and Paul was pulling out of the driveway, away from the Chase family-minus Annabeth- who stood waving goodbye.

As Paul pulled away, he noticed something glistening down Annabeth's cheek, and Percy pulling her close and holding her, as she rested her head against his chest. His suspicions were confirmed, and part of him wondered if it would be better if she stayed here with her family, but then he realized he was being stupid. As close as Annabeth had grown to her family recently and as hard as it had been to leave them, leaving Percy was harder, impossible even. Paul knew that, someday, she might be able to leave Percy for a while to stay with her family for longer periods of time, but right now, Percy needed her, just as she needed him, and separation was simply not an option.

He also knew that, as long as she had Percy, Annabeth would be okay without her family. Sure she would miss them, but in all actuality, she wasn't all that close with them, being they were her family. Her relationship with them was more like that of good friends. Paul knew that he and Sally were more like parents to her, than hers ever were, be that good or otherwise.

* * *

At the docks, Paul and Percy loaded everything onto the boat, and Paul went to return the car to the rental dealership, which was conveniently across the street.

By the time he got back, Percy had the boat ready and waiting. Paul climbed in, and they were off, sailing away from the beautiful city and into open water.

* * *

They got back home a little after five o'clock that night, Pacific Standard Time, but in New York, it was actually 8pm. They carried their luggage up to the apartment. Upon entering however, the suitcases and bags were left in the hallway, because no one felt like unloading them.

The four of them ended up in the kitchen, slouching around the table. All of them were tired from the day of packing and travel, but Percy looked especially exhausted. They had run into a storm along the east coast, and he'd had to put forth extra energy to give them a relatively smooth ride. Paul had to admit, Percy had done a good job, because those waves had been pounding against the hull pretty badly for at least four hours, but he had hardly felt the boat move at all. He was impressed, as usual, with his stepson's totally awesome ability to control water, and he again wondered when he would cease to be amazed, but he was very grateful to Percy for the smooth ride, even if it had left said demigod looking ready to fall asleep right there.

As if reading Paul's mind, Sally took one look at her son and said, "You should go to bed, Percy."

Percy looked at her. "It's only eight-thirty," he told his mother.

"You're exhausted," she pointed out.

Annabeth was looking at him, concerned, and Percy met her eyes. They seemed to have a silent conversation, but Paul had a pretty good idea what the issue was. Not once, had either one of them willingly went to bed without the other, and Annabeth was obviously concerned about Percy doing so. Paul knew Percy wasn't about to force Annabeth to go to sleep, just because he was, whether she was willing to or not. He also knew that Percy would force himself to stay awake until the rest of them went to bed, just so Annabeth wouldn't worry.

"It's fine," Percy mouthed to Annabeth, before looking back to Sally.

"Are you sure you don't need me to help unpack?" he asked.

Sally smiled lovingly at her much too loyal son. "Percy," she said, "I'm sure, between the three of us, we can get the important things done. Go to sleep."

Percy glanced at Annabeth again and back to his mother, before he sighed slightly and nodded, standing up.

"Come get me if you need help," he told the rest of his family, though he was looking at Sally.

"Go, Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth told him. Paul noticed a look of uncertainty, maybe even fear, cross Percy's face for a split second, before it vanished behind a mask of tired calm. Annabeth noticed though. She gave him a look that clearly said: _Come get me if _you _need help._ Percy gave her a nod so small, it was barely noticeable, before walking out of the kitchen.

As soon as he was gone, Annabeth looked a bit on the concerned side, which had Paul worried. He knew Percy was strong, and had been through and overcome a lot, but, since Tartarus, sleep was a delicate situation. At first, Paul had assumed Percy would be okay, but said demigod's hesitation and Annabeth's obvious unease had him a bit worried by now. If Annabeth was concerned, Paul probably had a good reason to be too. It wasn't so much the fear that nightmares would come, because that was probably inevitable; but he was concerned that Percy wasn't quite at the point where he could sleep, at least somewhat peacefully, alone, and neither was Annabeth, for that matter. The two had come so far over the past week alone, that to be set back would be a complete tragedy.

"How worried should I be?" Sally asked Annabeth softly, obviously thinking along the same lines that Paul was. Annabeth looked at her before apparently realizing that she was giving herself away by her expression. Immediately, her look of worry morphed into a mask of calm, the same mask of calm that Percy had worn just a minute ago; the mask of calm the two had perfected over the past eight months.

Annabeth sighed, her façade wavering for just a second and shrugged. "He's braver than I am," she answered, studying the tabletop, "or just stupider. But he's always been stronger than me when it comes to these things, so maybe he'll be fine."

"So you're saying there's a possibility he won't?" Paul asked, growing in concern.

Annabeth hesitated, as if deciding whether to be honest or not. It was pretty obvious she was wishing she'd just kept quiet. She apparently decided to tell the truth, because she said, "I don't know, but I've learned to trust Percy's judgment over the last few years. If he says he'll be okay, he probably will be. I have to believe that." Paul wasn't sure what to make of that answer. It wasn't exactly what he'd wanted to hear, but he couldn't argue with it. He found he agreed with every word Annabeth had said, and believed it himself, though he wasn't sure if he was happy about that or not.

Of those Paul trusted the most, Percy was at the very top, along with Sally and Annabeth, and Paul knew he had to trust his stepson now, no matter how disconcerting it may or may not have been. _He's just taking a nap,_ Paul told himself, G_et a grip. He'll be fine._ But as always, the little voice in the back of Paul's mind replied, _But what if he isn't?_ And as always, Paul tried to push that thought aside. Of course Percy would be okay. After all he'd been through; a silly little nightmare couldn't ruin everything. Could it?

Paul knew it was stupid of him to worry this much over something that may or may not happen, but, as he always did recently, he did worry. Percy was his son, and it was his job to worry, to keep him safe, even if, in reality, it was the other way around.

Paul knew he had a tendency to overestimate his stepson. He was really good at forgetting, especially with Percy's amazing skills and powers, that the seventeen year old was, indeed, still half human, and, like anyone, he had a breaking point. Even after having heard of the absolute horrors Percy'd had to face down in Tartarus, Paul still found it hard sometimes, to believe that the former had actually reached that point. He knew it was stupid and selfish, hypocritical even, to believe that, especially after Paul had very nearly reached his own breaking point simply _hearing_ the horrifying story of Percy and Annabeth's trip through hell, but he still found himself doing it.

Paul was broken out of his reverie of worry, when Annabeth spoke up. "I should go in there." She said, mostly to herself.

Sally reached out and placed her hand over the demigod's. "No," she said, though her eyes were screaming, _YES! Yes! Go in there and make sure my baby's okay!_ "This had to be done," she continued quietly, gently, "You'll never know how much he can handle if you don't do this."

Annabeth took her eyes away from the tabletop for the first time, and met Sally's. The demigod bit her lip, but nodded.

* * *

At about nine-thirty pm, Eastern Standard Time, Paul sat down on the couch, next to his wife, who had her laptop before her. Annabeth sat on the other couch, reading a book. A little while earlier, the three of them had unpacked the necessities for the night, and cleared away the pile of luggage blocking the path to the front door.

Paul laid his head against the back of the couch, struggling to keep his eyes open. They were all, quite obviously, tired, but were trying to stay up until a normal bedtime. In California, it was only six-thirty at night, and they were still adjusted to that time zone, but it had been a long day, and it was catching up with all of them.

Just then, Percy walked in, still looking exhausted, and sat down next to Annabeth, who immediately put her book down and repositioned herself to face her boyfriend. "Sleep well?" she asked cautiously, though, by the looks of him, he hadn't slept at all.

Percy shook his head, but turned and looked at her. "I am never going to sleep without you again," he told her, dead serious, but cracked a smile at the end, which relieved Paul greatly.

"Did you sleep at all?" Sally asked.

"No. Not really," Percy replied.

"Why didn't you come get me?" Annabeth demanded.

"Percy shrugged nonchalantly, though his eyes were closing. "I didn't want to force you to go to bed if you weren't tired."

Annabeth just shook her head at her boyfriend, but he had closed his eyes, and looked on the verge of unconsciousness. Annabeth stood up, leaving her book on the side table, and grabbed Percy's hand, pulling on him.

"C'mon, Seaweed Brain, let's go to bed," she said, trying to pull him off the couch. Paul had to admit, she was stronger than she looked, but Percy wasn't exactly small, and Annabeth wasn't having much luck. Finally, she let go, and Percy flopped back into the couch cushions. "Okay, fine. I'm going to bed, Percy, you can stay here and sleep on the couch. I'll be in your bed," she said, and turned to head to the hallway, though she was smirking a little.

Percy's eyes opened, and he stood tiredly. "I'm coming," he said, without hesitation. He gave Sally a kiss on the cheek and called goodnight to both, before grabbing Annabeth's hand and leaving Paul's view.

Despite himself, Paul had to smile. Annabeth always knew what to say to get Percy to comply with her wishes. He was putty in her hands. Paul had seen Percy take down monsters left and right, fighting like the deadly war machine he was, and yet he was so different around her. Paul seriously loved it.

He remembered his thoughts from earlier that day, that no matter how hard things would be for Annabeth having left her family, as long as she had Percy, she was, and always would be, okay.

And the same went for him.

* * *

Only as Paul was laying bed a few minutes later, did he realize what he should have realized first. He had been so concerned that Percy would be set back by some nightmare or flashback that he would experience, and yet, Paul hadn't even realized that that wasn't the case. Percy had still been Percy, tired, but Percy. Again, Paul wondered when he'd begun worrying so much about things that he should have known would never happen anyway. As always the answer was the same.

Since he'd become a father.

And honestly, he could live with that.

* * *

**I know, it wasn't my best, but it was still good right? Right? Let me know what you think!**

**ALSO: since I forgot to put this above, the next chapter is underway, and will hopefully be up by tomorrow night (Cause I just love you all so much)! :)**

**REVIEW and THANK YOU!**


	22. Some Things Never Change

**Here's chapter 21! I know, fast update!**

**Wow, I never expected this story to be this long! Originally it was just supposed to be a one-shot. (Bet you didn't know that!) But I'm glad you all like it enough to get it this far! **

**Thanks to those of you who noticed my mistake in the last chapter and let me know about it so I could fix it. :) **

**Anyway, as always, please R&R.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO characters!**

* * *

Paul glanced around the classroom, at the faces of his students, most of which, looked half asleep. It was the end of May, almost June, and he could tell that Summer Fever was setting in. Honestly, Paul couldn't blame them. It was ninth period and he was attempting to teach his eleventh grade English class (Percy and Annabeth's class) the importance of grammar in essays. He knew it was a boring topic, and he could understand his students' exhaustion with the end of the year chaos having begun, but it was still aggravating to have teenagers sleeping through a lecture you don't want to have to give in the first place.

Paul glanced at the clock, five more minutes. He inwardly sighed. For the most part, he'd gotten his point across anyway. "Alright. That's it for today," he announced, "Don't forget, the draft for your essay is due on Monday." He walked over to his desk and sat down, exhausted himself, as the students began talking amongst themselves, though most of it was half hearted and tired.

In the back, right corner of the classroom, Percy and Annabeth sat, as they had all year. Normally, Paul wasn't fond of students sitting in the back of the room, especially two dyslexic demigods, but here, he'd made an exception, given the circumstances, especially in the beginning of that school year. Teachers weren't supposed to show favoritism toward certain students, but let's face it, in a situation such as theirs, a little favoritism was necessary to the benefit of the whole class.

Paul watched the two demigods now. They were some, of only a few, who hadn't been fighting sleep, or just giving in to it altogether. They never did, but Paul knew it was probably due more to the fear of falling into a nightmare in the middle of class, then an interest in his lesson. More often than not, they didn't pay attention at all, but Paul didn't worry about it. He knew he shouldn't let them, but he just couldn't find it in himself to force them to pay attention to an English lesson, after all they'd been through and had to worry about. And, in all honesty, Annabeth probably knew the lesson already anyway, because, _gods,_ she was smart. And Percy, well Annabeth was definitely rubbing off on him, but he was Paul's stepson, and living with your English teacher had to help sometimes, right?

Besides, in their line of work, English was simply not as important as Greek.

Right now, the two were talking quietly, which meant they were probably having, what would be considered, a normal conversation. Usually when it involved something mythological, they would write it in Ancient Greek, which, over the years, the two had become fluent in. Paul was sure anyone who caught them would ask questions, but since it was unlikely that anyone in the school actually knew the ancient language, it made lying pretty easy.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the day, and a wave of students rushed out the door. Pretty soon, Percy and Annabeth were the only ones left. Normally, they would wait around for the fifteen minutes or so after school, and catch a ride home with Paul. When he had meetings afterward, they either walked or took the subway home. Today, though, he was going right home, so the two were waiting around.

Usually, the two would either help Paul get things in order or do homework. It was pretty obvious Percy would rather do other things, but Annabeth always got him to do what she wanted, without even trying very hard. Percy was wrapped around her little finger and he didn't even know it, or he did and didn't care. Annabeth certainly knew it though, and she enjoyed using it to her advantage. It amused Paul to no end.

Paul finished loading stacks of papers into his bag, and was closing it, when Percy and Annabeth walked into the room. He hadn't seen them leave, but judging from the backpacks they carried, they'd gone to their lockers to get their things. Paul zipped his bag shut and slung it on his shoulder, smiling at the demigods, who smiled back.

"Ready to go?" he asked them.

"Yup," Percy answered, "We-" He was interrupted by his girlfriend, who gasped loudly and froze, eyes wide, staring at something behind Paul, with a petrified expression.

Paul whirled around, nearly giving himself whiplash, expecting to see a monster behind him, ready to eat Percy and Annabeth. There was nothing there.

"Annabeth, what's-?" Paul started to ask, but stopped talking when Percy sighed, a look of realization spread across his formerly confused face.

By now, Annabeth was shaking, and looked like she'd be screaming, if only she could make a sound come out, which was _very_ out of character for her, and Paul was concerned that maybe whatever she was so terrified of wasn't actually behind him at all.

Percy cleared away Paul's concerned confusion when he mouthed, "Spider." Honestly, Paul should have known. No monster could possibly make Annabeth react like that, nor would Percy be so totally calm if there was indeed some evil before him. Well, a bigger evil anyway.

Paul turned around again, this time, scanning more carefully, following Annabeth's gaze. He still didn't see anything, but Percy must have, because he rushed from Annabeth's side, grabbed a tissue off Paul's desk, and walked toward the windows, across from where Paul stood, though Paul still couldn't see the mini-monstrosity.

Annabeth was practically hiding behind Paul, though she kept an eye on her boyfriend, as if the spider, wherever it was, would attack Percy. He was pretty sure she was hyperventilating.

Paul finally saw the spider, the cause of Annabeth's fear, and the intended victim of Percy's wrath. It was black and not very big at all; on the floor in front of the window sill, hidden in the shadow casted by one of the desks, which is why Paul hadn't noticed it before. Honestly, no one would have noticed it; it was so well camouflaged, had they not been a child of Athena, Arachne's arch-enemy, and had a deadly phobia of spiders. Even then, it would be a long shot, had they not fought Arachne herself. Unfortunately, all of that was true of Annabeth, and to say the poor girl was not doing very well would be the understatement of the ages.

Paul had seen Annabeth's fear of spiders in action before, just never this bad. As he thought about it, he realized that this was the first time he'd seen her encounter a spider since she and Percy had returned home. Granted, this probably wasn't the first spider she'd come across in the last nine months, Paul just hadn't been around to witness it.

Percy killed the spider with his tissue, threw it away, and rushed to Annabeth faster than seemed possible. Paul could tell he'd had experience doing so. Percy pulled Annabeth close to him and stroked her hair in a comforting manor.

"It's okay, Annabeth," he told her soothingly, "It's gone. You're okay." He continued comforting his girlfriend, and she slowly began to calm down.

During this time, Paul just stood there, feeling awkward and useless. He'd grown used to certain things sending the demigods into flashbacks and waves of fear, courtesy of Tartarus, but it still hit him like a ton of bricks every time. No matter how much he wanted and longed for the two to be over and done with the Post Traumatic Stress episodes, and as much improvement they made, they weren't one hundred percent better yet, and no matter how many times Paul heart was broken in two all over again, he just had remind himself again that they would get there eventually, and even if they didn't, look how far they'd come already.

Every time Paul felt himself getting down because of something that happened, which proved the demigods to be anything less than completely okay, he replayed those words in his mind again and again, every time, like a chant: _They'll get there. They'll be okay. Look how far they've come. One day, they'll be completely fine, you just watch. _It wasn't a matter of wanting to believe that, it was a matter of just doing so. He had no choice. Percy and Annabeth were so strong and had gone through _way_ too much for Paul to not be too. He needed to be strong for Percy and Annabeth, for Sally. Heck, he needed to be strong for himself, whether he actually was or not, just so he could get through each day with them.

Eventually, Annabeth calmed down and let go of Percy, holding just his hand. She glanced at Paul for the first time, and suddenly looked a little embarrassed.

"Sorry," she told him quietly.

"Don't be," Paul replied gently, "Come on, let's go home."

Percy and Annabeth nodded their agreement, the latter looking grateful.

* * *

As he drove home that day, Paul couldn't help but think that he was partly relieved that Annabeth still feared spiders, even if the phobia was a bit worse than it had been before. So many things had changed about the two since their most recent quest, and Paul was strangely comforted to find that at least a select few things had stayed the same, those things being Annabeth's fear of spiders, Percy's extreme loyalty, their love for their family, and their love for each other. As was the case with each of these, the feelings, good or bad, had only grown stronger since Tartarus, but the same basic principles applied, before and after, and the thought made Paul feel better, a lot better.

Despite the many differences in Percy and Annabeth, the characteristics that dominated them, that defined them before, still defined them now. Those, at least, had stayed the same.

And it was nice to know that some things never change.

* * *

**How was that? Did you like it? Let me know!**

**THANK YOU to all you reviewers! I love you all, even if I should really start remembering to add this at the top! :D**

**Thanks for reading!**


	23. Well Taken Care Of

**Hey guys! Here's chapter 22! I know these updates have been coming fast, I've been taking advantage of a three day weekend, so this is probably the last one that will be up until at least Wednesday, but I'll try to update at least once this week!**

**THANK YOU to all of you followers and reviewers! You guys are awesome!**

**_IMPORTANT:_**** THIS CHAPTER INVOLVES SOMEONE (NOT TELLING WHO) BEING SICK. IT'S NOT TOO GRAPHIC, BUT IF YOU DON'T LIKE READING THAT STUFF, I'D RECOMMEND READING CAREFULLY.**

**As always, please R&R! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: PJO belongs to Rick Riordan.**

* * *

Paul sighed, putting his head in his hands. Why did these things always happen when Sally was away?

Sally was in Florida, meeting with an editor about her novel, and wouldn't be home for another two days. Now all of that was good, great even, and Paul was really very happy for her… until the stomach flu struck.

Now, Paul himself wasn't sick, Percy was, but Paul might as well have been, for all the good he was doing. As much as he hated to admit it, he was a wimp when it came to blood and guts, and as far as he was concerned, vomit was part of that category.

Now, being as it was early June, it was kind of an odd time of year for one to come down with the stomach flu, but now that Paul thought about it, there had been a good number of students absent that past week, and there may have been a memo that went around to every teacher about a school wide illness, but he hadn't actually paid much attention to it… until now…

* * *

Paul had gotten up that morning around eight am, like he did every Saturday. The day had begun usually enough, until nine-forty five had rolled around, and neither Percy, nor Annabeth, had gotten up yet. At five to ten, Annabeth had walked into the kitchen, looking much too frazzled and concerned to have just gotten up. She had sat down at the table with Paul, and told him that Percy had been up half the night, sick as a dog, and, therefore, she hadn't gotten much sleep either.

Ever since then, Paul had been doing his best to assist in taking care of his sick stepson, but, gods, Annabeth was a lifesaver.

* * *

The microwave beeped, signaling that the chicken soup he'd been heating up for Percy had finished. Had Sally been there, she would have made Percy chicken soup too, though it would have been homemade and no doubt, much better tasting than Paul's version, but, when it came to cooking, canned soup was the best Percy was going to get from him. Paul stood, and made his way to the microwave, taking the bowl out and carrying it down the hallway, to Percy's bedroom.

He turned the knob and opened the door, only to be met with an empty bedroom. Before Paul could think to look anywhere else, he was met with the not-so-wonderful sound of retching, coming from the bathroom across the hall. Last he'd known, Percy had been sleeping, but Annabeth had requested the soup for when he woke up. Paul guessed that was probably out of the question now, but he set the soup on the bedside table anyway, and made his way to the bathroom, putting on a brave face to cover the wince.

When he peered in, he saw Annabeth, leaning against the vanity, looking at Percy with a troubled expression. Said demigod sat leaning against the bathtub, resting his head tiredly on his knees, and looking downright miserable. He was shirtless and sweaty, pale, but with flushed cheeks, probably from a fever, and he was shivering slightly.

Paul had seen Percy sick only once before, and it hadn't been to this extent. Being a demigod, Percy was very rarely sick to begin with, but as a general rule, when he was sick, he was down and out for at least a day, usually more.

It was strange to see someone who was normally so strong and happy, looking so pitiful. Paul knew Percy probably hated all the attention and concern he was getting right now, but he was obviously so downright miserable at the moment, he either didn't care or simply lacked the energy to.

Paul withheld a sigh and turned to Annabeth and away from his half conscious stepson. "Does he have a fever?" he asked her quietly.

"I haven't checked lately," she replied at the same volume, "but when I checked a few hours ago, he did."

"What was it at?" he asked her.

Annabeth eyed him. "Don't panic," she told him.

"Why?"

"It was 104.7."

_"104?!"_

"Shhh, yes, it's okay. He's blown up a volcano and survived. He's pretty much got water running through his veins, and it makes him more resilient to high temperatures. For him, 104 really isn't very high at all, it's low grade." Paul couldn't argue with that logic, and he felt a little better, but still, Percy had to be pretty miserable.

Paul just nodded, again looking at his stepson, who seemed to be sleeping against the cool bathtub. He looked to Annabeth again. "The soup's on the bedside table, thought I doubt you'd want to feed him anything right now," he told her, "I'm going to get the thermometer." Annabeth just nodded, while studying her boyfriend.

Paul left the bathroom, and reentered Percy's bedroom. He found the thermometer pretty quickly. It was on the bedside table, right next to where he'd left the soup. Paul grabbed it and made his way back into the bathroom, pausing in the doorway.

Percy was awake again, heaving dryly into the toilet, while Annabeth rubbed soothing circles on his back. He'd obviously emptied the contents of his stomach already, which was probably a good thing. Paul steeled his nerves, and continued in.

He waited in the doorway of the small bathroom, holding the thermometer awkwardly. He felt kind of bad and thought about just leaving it on the sink, leaving the two alone, because Paul knew that if it were him, that's what he would want. Just as he was about to do just that though, Percy motioned with his hand to wait, so Paul stayed.

Paul studied Annabeth during this time, unable to help but be a little impressed with her complete calm with the situation, as if she wasn't the least bit concerned with the current state of her boyfriend. Then again, Paul thought, she'd been the leader of a cabin full of kids of all ages for quite a few years. Surely, this wasn't the first time she'd had to deal with an ill demigod. And seriously, after experiencing two wars, many battles, and extreme amounts of bloodshed and gore, vomit would be the least of her problems. Paul wondered when he would learn to stop thinking of the two teenagers in terms of normal human experiences.

After another uncomfortable minute or so, Percy's body relaxed and he rested his head tiredly on the side of the toilet seat. The guy looked absolutely exhausted and very sickly, barely able to keep his eyes open, but after a second, he sat back against the bathtub and looked at Paul miserably. "Does mom know?" he croaked.

Paul knew what he meant and answered with a shake of his head. "I can call again-" he began.

"No," Percy interrupted, sounding stronger in his persistence, "Don't tell her. She'll worry and cancel everything there so she can come back early."

"Okay," Paul replied. He knew his stepson was right. That was exactly what Sally would do, _if_ she knew, but part of him wondered if that would necessarily be a bad thing. Sally would surely know what to do with Percy being sick. She'd had more experience than any of them when it came to caring for her son, but Percy wasn't a little boy anymore and Paul knew he would be okay without her. Besides, Annabeth was doing a pretty good job with caring for him, and she seemed to have things under control. Not that he should have expected anything less from Annabeth Chase.

Paul remembered the thermometer in his hand, and held it up for Percy to see. Said demigod seemed a little more alert since demanding his mother not know of his current predicament, and nodded unenthusiastically, holding his hand out for it. Paul stepped forward and handed it to him. Percy stuck the plastic stick in his mouth, and Paul stepped back, resuming his spot in the doorway. After a few seconds, the thermometer beeped. Percy took it out of his mouth and squinted at the readout. He made a noise somewhere between a groan and a whimper, and leaned his head back against the cool bathtub again. Annabeth took the thermometer from Percy's hand.

"104.2," she read, obviously not happy with the result, but trying for optimism, "That's lower than before."

"By .5 degrees," Percy groaned, eyes closed.

Annabeth sighed. "Come on, Seaweed Brain; let's get you back to bed."

"I'm comfortable," Percy told her, though he looked quite the opposite of comfortable.

"Doesn't look like it to me," Annabeth told him, but Percy ignored her. She sighed and looked to Paul for help. He nodded and stepped toward Percy again.

"C'mon, Perce, you can sleep in bed," Paul told him, struggling to pull his uncooperative stepson off the floor. A few years ago, this may not have been such a difficult task, but now, Percy was six feet tall and solid muscle; not the lightest person in the world. Percy groaned and began trying to help, but he was so weak, he wasn't much help anyway. Eventually, between Paul, Annabeth, and the little assistance Percy provided, they were able to get him up off the floor and to his bed, where he collapsed on his stomach, as if he'd been there the whole time.

Paul shook his head, sighing, at the sight of his ill stepson. He met eyes with Annabeth, grabbed the now-cold soup from the bedside table, and left the room. As he entered the kitchen, he noticed Annabeth had followed him in. He set the bowl on the counter, and turned in time to see the demigod slump down in a kitchen chair and rest her head on her forearms atop the table.

"You okay?" Paul asked her.

Annabeth nodded against her arms, eyes closed. "Just tired," she answered, "I hate seeing him like that, and I know he probably hates it more, and I just don't know what to do to help him."

Paul sat down with her. "Annabeth," he began, "If I know anything about Percy, I know that he loves you more than life itself. There's really nothing more you can do for him than what you are already doing. You're here, and that's enough."

Annabeth just sighed and sat up. "I just hate not knowing what I'm doing. I mean, I've dealt with sick campers before, but I still feel lost as to whether I'm doing it right or not. I don't want to do something wrong and make him feel even worse."

"You're doing fine, believe me. You're better at this than I am. Percy loves you, probably more than you know, and I don't think he'd rather have anyone else taking care of him."

Annabeth looked up from the tabletop. "He would do the same for me," she said with a halfhearted shrug.

"He would," Paul agreed, then added, "Just don't get sick and make him have to."

Annabeth's expression softened a little. "Don't worry. Percy had some leftovers of Hermes's Multivitamins from the quest in the Sea of Monsters. Between those and the little bit of nectar I drank earlier, I'll be fine. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for you."

"Oh, great," Paul answered sarcastically, but his face must have been pretty comical, because Annabeth smiled for the first time, which made Paul smile too. "You should get some sleep while you can," he told her.

Annabeth nodded absently. "Yeah, and I guess I shouldn't leave Percy alone for too long either. The last thing he needs right now is a nightmare." Paul nodded his agreement as the demigod stood up, smiled at him, and left the kitchen.

* * *

Two days later, early Monday morning, Paul sat in the kitchen, sipping coffee and reading the newspaper before work. Percy's fever had finally broken the night before, and it was safe to say that he was on the mend, finally able to keep a little food down, but he was still in no shape to leave home. Neither Paul, nor Annabeth, had gotten sick, and Sally was due home within the hour. Paul knew she would probably be upset to not have known about her son's being sick, but he also knew she would have been more upset later, had she canceled her plans in order to come home. Besides, Percy'd had Annabeth, and Paul, though the latter wasn't sure how much help he'd actually been.

A few minutes later, Annabeth joined Paul in the kitchen. "Morning," she said, and began pouring herself a bowl of cereal.

"Good morning," Paul greeted her with a smile, "How's Percy?"

"He's better," she answered, "He's awake and not very happy about having to stay home, but he'll survive."

Paul chuckled and went back to his paper as Annabeth alternated between eating, tying her shoes, and putting things in her bag. When she was done, she left the kitchen to finish getting ready for school.

Suddenly, a different person appeared in the doorway, and Paul couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. He stood up and kissed his wife, taking her bags for her. He hadn't heard the door open, but he really didn't care. Sally had only been away for four days, but that was plenty long enough for Paul, especially when a certain demigod was sick.

"Hi," Sally said, smiling, though she looked exhausted. Her flight had left at two in the morning, and she was obviously tired.

"Hi," Paul replied, smiling back. He took Sally's bags to their room, leaving them on the bed, and reentered the kitchen, where he found Sally at the table, reading something on a piece of paper in her hand. He stood behind her and massaged her shoulders.

"How was the flight?" he asked her.

"Exhausting," Sally replied, "How are the kids?" Paul smiled. Despite everything, Percy and Annabeth were still "the kids" when it came to his and Sally's conversations about them.

"They're good," he answered.

"Are they getting ready?" Sally asked. _Well, here goes nothing._

"Annabeth is." Sally pulled away from Paul, turning to look up at him, confused.

"What about Percy?"

"He was sick over the weekend, so he's staying home today, though he's not very happy about it." Paul knew Sally really must have been tired, because normally, she would have interrupted.

"Wait, _what?_" She asked after a second, "Percy was sick? With what? Why didn't you tell me?"

"He had the stomach flu. It's been going around. And I didn't tell you because you'd worry too much. Besides, he was well taken care of. Annabeth is a good caregiver." Sally seemed to relax a little after hearing that, but she still didn't look quite happy.

"Is he okay now?"

"Yes. His fever broke last night and he's able to keep food down. He'll probably be back to normal by tomorrow."

Sally seemed better after hearing that. After a few seconds, she managed a dry smile. "Leave it to Percy to get sick when I'm not home.

"His timing is pretty terrible," Paul agreed with a smile, happy that Sally wasn't upset.

Sally chuckled before saying, "Keep massaging my shoulders. That felt really good." Paul chuckled, but was happy to comply.

As much as Paul liked to point out how Percy was wrapped around Annabeth's finger, he knew he wasn't any different. He loved Sally with all his heart and would lay his life down for her. She merely had to ask, and he was happy to oblige. He wanted her to be happy, and would do everything in his power to keep her that way.

Of course, being away for a few days probably helped in her favor.

And honestly, Paul wouldn't have had it any other way.

* * *

**Like? Dislike? Let me know!**

**I know, I know, Percy was sick, and that was awful, but I thought it would be a nice touch to the story. I know it didn't directly relate to their recovery after Tartarus, but I think it went well with the closeness between Annabeth and Percy. I hope you agree!**

**Anyway, please let me know what you thought, and thanks for reading!**

**-LiveLaughLove728**


	24. Eventually

**Hi, everyone. I know you all probably hate me so much right now for making you wait so long for this chapter! I'M SO SORRY! Writers' Block is a killer! This story took me so long to come up with and it took a while to write, and I've just been insanely busy. Sorry! I know you probably don't want to listen to my excuses, so I'll stop now.**

**Anyway, here's chapter 23. I worked hard on this chapter, so hopefully you guys like it! Thanks to ****_Tom Marvolo Riddle 2_**** for the idea!**

**Please let me know what you think, even though you're probably mad at me for the long wait.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO characters.**

* * *

Paul sat down on his bed, put his head in his hands, and took a shaky breath. For the most part, he considered himself a pretty easy-going person. Very few things could get him worked up anymore, but today had.

Today _definitely_ had.

* * *

The day had started normally enough. Paul and Sally had woken up and walked into the kitchen, the latter taking a seat at the table, while Paul turned on the coffee pot and joined her. All was quiet for a while. It was around 8am on a Saturday. That past week had been the last week of the school year. Now, school was out, and Paul was looking forward to a relaxing summer.

For about thirty minutes, he and Sally sat at the table, sipping coffee and talking quietly. It was quiet and peaceful, and Paul was quite content.

Unfortunately, said contentment was short-lived, because at that moment, Annabeth ran into the kitchen, pajama clad. She wore a frazzled expression, somewhere between worry, grief, and fear, definitely fear. It was strange to see her like that, because Annabeth _never_ looked like that. Never.

"Annabeth, are you okay?" Paul asked, eyeing the demigod with worried curiosity.

Annabeth barely shook her head. "It-it's Percy," she said, no louder than a whisper. Paul didn't wait for an explanation. He stood up so fast, he knocked his coffee mug over, but that was not of any concern at the moment.

Paul and Sally ran after Annabeth, down the hallway, to the open doorway of Percy's bedroom. Paul stopped in the entrance, frozen in shock, while Sally made a sound, somewhere between a gasp and a whimper.

Percy sat on the side of the bed, rigid and straight. His eyes were open, but they were unfocused and staring at nothing. The worst part: they were like shattered glass, broken all over again. He was trembling, trapped in a flashback, unable to escape the horrors of the past.

"No," Paul whispered, still stunned. He couldn't believe he was seeing Percy like this; he didn't want to believe it. Sure, there had been bad days, and lots of them, since Tartarus, but neither demigod had had one in almost three months. He'd been optimistic that they had moved past that awful stage, but judging from the sight before him, Paul guessed not, especially with the apparent severity of Percy's current condition. The most recent bad days had been manageable, miserable and not much fun, but manageable. Percy and Annabeth were usually able to eat, talk, and get through the day fairly well, with only exhaustion from a night of nightmares and an occasional flashback to present some struggle.

Sally rushed forward, enveloping her son, holding him while tears streamed down her face. One look at her, and Paul knew she was crushed. For as much as Paul had hoped and forced himself to believe that Percy would get better, he knew Sally had done twice that. Seeing her right then seemed to make the situation that much worse.

Paul's eyes stung with unshed tears as he tried, with everything in him, to hold it together. He couldn't watch this. After everything, it was too much. He felt like the delicate balance that was his world had turned upside down and was slowly crumbling.

Before he could even comprehend that his legs were carrying him, Paul found himself back in the kitchen. He sat down in the same chair he'd been in a few minutes ago, ignoring the coffee spilled on the table and dripping to the floor. He just sat there for a second, eyes staring, as he tried to get a handle on what was going on.

"Are you okay?" a voice asked quietly, cautiously. Despite that, Paul jumped, whipping his head up so fast, he nearly gave himself whiplash. Annabeth stood across the kitchen, leaning awkwardly on the counter.

It took a minute for Paul to find his voice. "Are you?" he asked, confused as to why she would be in the kitchen with him, while Percy was down the hall, in the state he was in.

Annabeth stared at the floor. She seemed unable to form words right away. Paul noticed her eyes were filled with tears, threatening to spill over. As understandable as it was right then, it was still strange to see Annabeth cry. After almost a minute, the demigod took a deep, shaky breath. "No," she whispered, so quietly, Paul could hardly make it out. "I'm far from okay." She moved forward and took a seat across from Paul.

A small part of Paul's brain, the part that always seemed to notice important things at really bad times, noted that Annabeth wasn't in as bad of shape as she'd used to be when Percy would have a bad day, and vice versa. That, or maybe it just hadn't completely hit her yet. Honestly, right then, it didn't really matter.

"What happened?" Paul asked. Immediately, he regretted asking, because the question only seemed to make Annabeth look worse.

"I don't know," she replied in that same quiet whisper, "I found him like that when I woke up. I tried to get him to snap out of it, but it was no use." She sounded defeated.

"Why are you out here with me?" Paul asked her. He knew he probably could have said a hundred other things, any of which would have been better in the situation, but he was pretty darn close to breaking, and he just didn't care. When Annabeth answered, however, he regretted asking.

She was quiet for a few seconds. A tear trickled down her cheek. "Because I can't be in there," she answered in a shattered voice, "I-I can't stand there helplessly and see him like that…" she trailed off and Paul had no idea what to say. "We were doing so well," Annabeth continued after a minute. "I-I thought things were getting better…" By now, the tears were falling relentlessly, but she had given up on trying to prevent them. Paul could tell she just didn't care anymore. She'd been putting the pieces of her life slowly back together again over the past ten months, and then, she'd woken up that morning and found it torn apart again.

Paul wanted to respond, but he had absolutely no idea what to say. How does one respond to something like that? Rather than saying anything, Paul found himself rising from his chair and walking toward the crying demigod. He wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, but he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.

Paul half-expected Annabeth to shirk away from the embrace, but she didn't. Instead, she leaned into Paul, resting her head against his chest and crying into him. As terrible and slightly uncomfortable as the situation was, he couldn't help noticing that it felt right, kneeling there, holding Annabeth, providing the comfort she so desperately needed right then. It made things a little better.

They sat there for a minute or so. Paul was silent as Annabeth's tears soaked his shirt. Suddenly, the demigod tensed, pulling away and sitting up. Paul leaned back to look at her, perplexed at her sudden change of behavior.

Annabeth sat straight up, the tears no longer flowing from her red, swollen eyes. He could almost see the gears turning as she, quite obviously, was on the brink of an epiphany of some kind.

"What's today's date?" she asked, throwing Paul completely off guard.

He blinked. "Um…" He squinted at the calendar hanging on the wall across the room. "June sixteenth. Why?"

Annabeth shot to her feet, comprehension evident on her face. "That's it! Paul, it's June sixteenth, exactly a year since Percy first left the Wolf House to find Camp Jupiter."

Paul's eyes widened as the missing piece to the puzzle was finally put in place. It made sense. That _had_ to be it. Though Percy had never come right out and said it, Paul knew that trip was hard on him. It was his first exposure to the real world without a memory, coming from a strange place, in search of an unknown one. Not only that, but he'd had gorgons chasing him the entire time, and no idea where he was going. It had been a traumatic experience for Percy, Paul was sure.

Paul nodded at Annabeth, a little amazed at her figuring that out. "What do we do?" he asked her.

Annabeth thought for a few seconds and left the kitchen, heading back to Percy's room. Paul followed, curious and hopeful.

When Paul got to the bedroom, the scene before him made his heart sink a little. Sally sat on the bed next to her son. She was hugging him, tears streaming silently down her cheeks, staring blankly at the far wall. One look at her, and Paul knew her whole world had fallen apart, because, despite how much she loved Paul, he knew she loved Percy that much more, and there was nothing he could do about that.

In her embrace, Percy may have been trembling a little less, but otherwise, nothing had changed since Paul had seen him a few minutes earlier.

Paul stood off to the side, trying to stay out of the way. He watched as Annabeth approached Percy and his mother, looking slightly nervous, though Paul wasn't sure about what exactly.

Sally noticed Annabeth and was momentarily broken from her trance. She met eyes with the younger girl and nodded, retracting herself from Percy. From Sally's expression, it was obvious she wanted to know what was going on and why Annabeth's demeanor had changed so suddenly, but the latter obviously wasn't going to clarify at the moment.

Annabeth approached Percy with a resolute expression. She kneeled before him, eyes level with his. Sally stood and moved away, giving her some room. Paul joined Sally, wrapping his arms comfortingly around her, hugging her from behind. Both watched the demigods anxiously.

"Percy," Annabeth said calmly and evenly, eyes boring into his. "I'm here. You're okay." She placed a hand on her boyfriend's cheek. Under her touch, Percy's body seemed to relax, the trembling improved. Prior to this, Paul hadn't been sure that Percy could even hear Annabeth, but now, he knew that he must have, or at, he least knew it was her. Annabeth continued, "Percy, I'm here, all right? I love you. It's okay. Wake up, Seaweed Brain, snap out of it. Come back to me." By now, Annabeth's eyes were tearing up again, her voice growing stronger with emotion. "Percy, you're gonna get through this. We're gonna get through this, okay? Together. Just, come on, fight it. I can't do this alone. I need you, Seaweed Brain. I need you a lot." Annabeth's voice cracked on the last word. "Wake up, Percy," she whispered.

Paul watched all of this, heart in his throat, tears in his eyes, and both fear and hope written on his face. He hugged Sally closer.

He could tell that Percy could hear Annabeth and was trying desperately to snap out of the flashback that gripped him so tightly. The trembling had stopped and the brokenness in his eyes had receded some. He wasn't sure, but he thought he could make out a small bit of a determined expression cross his features occasionally, but he still stared, back straight as a board. Still, Paul was astonished at how Annabeth seemed to know exactly what to say and how to say it.

Annabeth gripped her boyfriends face in both her hands now, her face inches from his, staring intently into his eyes, pleading. Her tears had stopped again, leaving behind the stubborn set of her jaw and the unwavering insistence in her voice. "Come on, Percy. You're stronger than this, I know you are. I'm right here, Seaweed Brain, and I'm not going anywhere. _We're staying together. You're not getting away from me. Never again._" At the last part, Percy closed his eyes tight. It was the first movement Paul had seen of him all day. He wasn't sure what the significance of her words was, if there was any at all, but they seemed to be working.

If it was possible, Annabeth looked more determined than ever. She leaned in and kissed Percy, obviously hoping to illicit more of an improvement.

After about a minute, Percy reacted, wrapping his arms around Annabeth and holding her. The latter was so surprised, she pulled away, only to be pulled closer as Percy hugged her tightly, burying his head in her hair, tears filling his eyes and overflowing down his cheeks. He took a shaky breath. "As long as we're together," he whispered in a voice barely loud enough to be a whisper.

As Annabeth pulled away, Percy opened his eyes, which were their usual sea green, almost all evidence of their former, shattered state gone, and the rest retreating. Annabeth sat up to look at him, tears in her eyes. "As long as we're together," she repeated. Percy leaned in and kissed her, before pulling her in for another hug.

"I love you, Annabeth," Percy whispered, "so, so much."

"I love you too, Percy, you don't even know."

* * *

The rest of that day had been pretty difficult and had involved a few more episodes, but Annabeth was always there to bring Percy back again. Paul was beginning to wonder if he would ever grasp just how much the two had been through over the course of the last year. He guessed not. He also guessed that he would never cease to be amazed at the love shared between the two; how, no matter how terrible the state of one, the other could always make things better again, or as close to better as was possible. Even in Percy's weak, unstable condition, Annabeth had brought him back, their love surpassing even the evils of Tartarus, and they would overcome in the end.

Paul knew that the next month would probably present difficulties with the one year mark of the quest so quickly approaching, but he honestly wasn't that worried. He knew that as long as Percy and Annabeth had each other, they would make it through. Paul also couldn't help hoping that, just maybe, bad days wouldn't be quite so bad anymore.

As he sat there, in his bedroom, Paul realized just how shaken up he had been today and how much he was riding on the demigod's improvement and eventual recovery. He realized that, maybe he shouldn't keep his hopes up so high for the two, because they were not out of the woods yet, and the possibility of regression was still rather high, as he had, so unpleasantly, learned that morning.

Still, Paul couldn't help hoping that the day's events would, rather than set Percy (and therefore, Annabeth) back in the recovery process, they would, instead, mark yet another breakthrough along the way. He still believed that the two would, one day, be whole again; that they would recover completely from Tartarus. He couldn't help but think that way, because he knew, deep down, that no matter how tall the mountain, or how great the climb, Percy and Annabeth would get there. He knew, as long as they had each other, they could do anything, even survive hell and be okay.

Eventually.

* * *

**What did you think? I know it probably didn't make up for the two weeks I made you wait, but hopefully it helped a little. :)**

**Please review!**


	25. What Could Be Better

**Hey guys! A fast update, hopefully to make up for the super long wait for the last chapter (I can tell you guys are so disappointed). This one's a little on the shorter side, but the idea just kinda came to me, and it was kinda needed. **

**Anyway, I hope you all like it! As always, let me know! R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns the rights to all PJO characters and anything else PJO/HoO related! **

* * *

Paul glanced at the clock on the table beside him: _5:52 am._ It was still early, and he could go back to sleep for another few hours if he wanted to, which he normally would, but he couldn't, so instead, he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, letting his mind wander. As far as he knew, Sally slept peacefully beside him.

It was early July, the Fourth actually, and Percy and Annabeth had left for camp the day before, wanting to catch the fireworks at the beach the following night, which was tonight. They were only planning on staying until after the show, but Paul knew there was a possibility they would stay another day. Maybe even two.

That, of course, depended on one thing and one thing only.

Camp Half-Blood strictly prohibited two campers of different godly parents to be alone in a cabin together. This, apparently, applied to everyone, no matter what, and Percy and Annabeth, being senior counselors, had to set the example.

Normally, when the demigods were forced to sleep apart from one another, they simply didn't sleep at all, which probably wasn't the best option, but it was the one that allowed the most peace for the two, and for those around them. Paul assumed that the demigods would have spent the night in manor similar to this, but, for some reason, he had a feeling that they hadn't. He wasn't sure what it was or where the feeling came from, but something told him that last night had been different, and the outcome could be either good _or_ bad.

He wasn't sure what to call it. A sixth sense maybe? But Paul had been unable to ignore it, and it had resulted in him getting very little sleep that past night. Had it been anything else, and Paul would have pushed it aside, brushing it off as stupidity or paranoia, but this wasn't anything else, this was Percy and Annabeth.

In Paul's mind, the last couple of weeks had been tense and stressful for both him and Sally, though in reality, they had been pretty uneventful. After Percy's bad day, about two weeks ago, the two had been extremely worried that Percy and Annabeth would be set back on the road to recovery because of the one year marks approaching for the quest and the horrors that came with them, which was, as far as they knew, what had originally caused Percy's fateful episode in the first place. Now, to say that the anniversary had had no effect on the two at all, would not be true, though, compared to what Paul had feared and dreaded, the effects were next to nothing.

Annabeth had struggled a little one morning with a flashback, but Percy had taken care of it pretty quickly, just as she had for him a few days earlier. Other than that though, the only effect Paul had seen in either demigod was the glazing over of eyes once in a while, but only for seconds, before it would disappear, and the demigod would be left acting like nothing had happened at all. Percy and Annabeth had been closer than was usual, which wasn't really saying a lot, since they were close almost all the time, but for about a week, the two almost never left each other's side, and were constantly touching in some way, shape, or form.

To sum it up, Paul had been pleasantly surprised and very relieved, and he knew Sally felt the same way.

All that still didn't take away from the nagging feeling that something big had gone on with the demigods the previous night, which could turn out positively or negatively. Paul didn't have a clue though, and it was really starting to drive him crazy.

He wasn't sure when he'd fallen asleep, but the next thing he knew, the sun was pretty high in the sky, shining through the bedroom window, and Sally was no longer next to him. He rolled over and squinted at the clock, which now read 9:42. Paul blinked, doing a double take. He'd known he was tired, but not _that_ tired. He must have gotten even less sleep last night than he'd thought. Still half asleep, Paul got up and waded into the kitchen, where he found Sally at the table, looking just as tired, sipping a cup of steaming coffee.

"Why didn't you get me up?" Paul asked as he fished a mug out of the cabinet and poured his own coffee.

"I've only been up for a few minutes," Sally answered, shrugging, "You got hardly any sleep last night. I figured I'd let you get as much as you could."

"And how much sleep did _you_ get last night?" Paul asked gently as he joined her at the table. Sally just shrugged, taking another sip, but Paul knew what her answer was. She hadn't gotten any more sleep than he had, maybe even less.

"You feel it too, don't you?" she asked quietly after about a minute of silence. Paul knew what she meant, and a part of him couldn't help feeling relieved that he wasn't crazy after all.

"Yeah," Paul answered solemnly, "I do."

Sally was quiet for another few seconds, staring down at her coffee mug. "Do you think they're okay?" she asked eventually. She sounded almost scared for his answer.

Paul hesitated for a second. "I don't know," he answered after a pause. He didn't feel like lying. "But I do know," he continued, "that this is Percy and Annabeth we're talking about. Knowing them, I'm sure they're fine. After everything, it just makes sense that they would be."

Sally's traveled to meet Paul's. "That's the problem. When it comes to Percy, nothing that happens _ever_ makes sense."

Paul blinked. He really couldn't argue there. "Well, in that case, it makes absolutely no sense at all." Sally smiled minutely, and he managed a small smile back at her. After a few seconds of meeting her eyes, Paul's expression wavered. He sighed and put his head in his hands. "Since when do I worry so much?" he asked aloud.

Sally chuckled humorlessly. "I've asked myself that question since the day Percy was born." Paul met her eyes again through his fingers. "I still don't have an answer," Sally added, smiling for real now. Despite himself, Paul had to chuckle, and at that moment, he decided, if not just for that day, he would push his fears aside and enjoy time with his wife, because the worry could always wait until another day.

* * *

That night, around eleven, Paul sat in the living room with Sally, who was curled up beside him, dozing as they watched the news. They hadn't heard from Percy or Annabeth all day, but they weren't expecting them home until, at least, the next morning, so when the front door opened, Paul was immediately confused. He turned away from the television, sitting up a little, toward the hallway, in time to see Percy walk in, holding Annabeth's hand. They looked tired, but not as tired as they should have looked for staying up for almost two days straight. In fact, they looked pretty well rested, considering. Both were smiling as they walked in, and something was definitely different about them. It didn't take long for Paul to figure it out.

The demigods were practically glowing with victory, and they walked with a bounce in their step. All in all, they looked much too happy for people who'd had a long day, never mind having stayed up the entire night before. And that, Paul realized, was simply because they hadn't. He met Percy's eyes, and he knew. No, they hadn't been allowed to sleep together, but that was what made the accomplishment so great. One look at the both of them, and Paul knew, they had managed to make it through an entire night apart, and they had actually been able to sleep, from the looks of things, fairly well, which meant the nightmares had been kept to a minimum. As far as milestones went for the two, this was _huge._

Paul couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. One look at Sally, and he knew she saw the same exact thing in the teenagers that stood before her. He didn't know why he even bothered to double check for her recognition. _Of course_ she would have noticed, probably twice as fast as Paul had, but still, it was a great sight to see.

"I take it you slept better than we did," Sally announced, after the hellos and hugs were exchanged.

It was Annabeth who answered with a shrug. "The nightmares were surprisingly manageable."

"But it _was_ pretty weird to sleep alone," Percy added, grinning cheekily. Paul chuckled.

This new breakthrough left for happier morale throughout the entire Jackson-Blofis (And Chase) residence, along with things that would have to be discussed within the next few days, but for now, Paul was determined to enjoy the happiness and excitement that came with such a milestone.

In the light of everything that night, Paul's earlier fears were long forgotten in a short amount of time. He still wasn't used to Percy and Annabeth constantly proving him wrong, but he _definitely_ wasn't complaining, because it was almost always for the better.

His family had grown so close over the course of the last year, and it seemed that it would only grow closer. With every step along the road, every rung of the ladder reached, the demigods grew closer to a full recovery, and though Paul still wasn't certain what a full recovery meant for them, be it completely back to normal or not, but he honestly didn't care anymore. Sure, a completely back to normal Percy and Annabeth would, by no means, be a bad thing, but he was way past hoping solely for that. Now, he simply wanted the two to be able to function normally, live happily, and grow old together, because honestly, what could be better than that?

The thought made Paul smile.

* * *

**You like? Lemme know!**

**By the way, THANK YOU SO MUCH to all you reviewers! I LOVE you all so much, and I literally read each and every review you guys leave, sometimes more than once. It's nice to know that my hard work is appreciated!**


	26. Wouldn't Change A Thing

**Hey guys! Here's the next chapter! Wow, I never thought this story would reach 25 chapters! Ha! It was originally supposed to be a one-shot! Can you believe that?**

_**I know you all probably don't want to hear this, but this is most likely the second to last chapter, though I may make two more, depending on how the next one turns out. Either way, we are approaching the end. However, before you despair, I have this idea of having an epilogue at the end of this story to finish it off the right way. Also, I am going to be writing a story about married life for Percy and Annabeth, kind of like a continuation of this story, but not really haha.**_

**As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please R&R!**

**Disclaimer: PJO/HoO is owned by Rick Riordan, not me... obviously.**

* * *

Paul made his way through the apartment, looking for his stepson. Despite what Percy said, Paul was worried about him, and wanted to make sure everything was okay with the demigod. Sally and Annabeth had left a little while ago to go to the grocery store and wouldn't be home for a while, so Paul was going to take advantage of the opportunity to talk to Percy. That is, if he could find him.

Paul had searched almost the entire apartment. The kitchen, living room, bathroom, Percy's room, even his and Sally's room, but all were empty. Paul had been planning on giving up his search, assuming that Percy had gone somewhere, when one last place came to mind.

He entered Percy's room once more, this time, looking closer. He walked across the relatively small room, to the open window. Sure enough, there stood Percy, on the fire escape, staring down at the city below. Paul knew he should have looked there sooner. It wasn't unusual for Percy to be out there. It seemed that the chaos of Manhattan was strangely calming to the demigod, though Paul wasn't sure how exactly. Maybe it had something to do with the ADHD?

Paul stepped through the window and joined Percy on the rickety fire escape, into the mid-July heat. He'd never liked those things, but he was willing to take his chances, just this once. Paul stood next to Percy, resting his hands on the railing, much in the same way Percy was. He studied his stepson, who paid him no attention as he studied the city skyline, though Paul knew that Percy knew he was there. Nothing got past him. Not anymore.

They stood there for a minute, the sounds of the city all around them. To Paul, it was noisy and chaotic, though it seemed to have the opposite effect on Percy.

"Hey," Percy said after a minute, and Paul was thankful to not have to begin the conversation.

"Hi," Paul responded quietly, trying to figure out what to say. Percy seemed to know this, because he waited, not saying anything, not looking away from the city before him. Finally Paul settled with, "How are you, Percy?"

Percy turned to look at Paul for a moment, before looking straight ahead again, but it was obvious he knew what Paul meant.

"It's… weird," Percy replied after a second. He paused, but Paul knew he wasn't finished. He continued after another few seconds. "When we first got back… from _Tartarus,_" he said the word Tartarus strangely, like it was still difficult to get out, "it was hard to distinguish what was real and what wasn't. I guess that was a side effect or something…" Paul wasn't sure where Percy was going with this, but he listened nevertheless. "Anyway, I guess it's just weird now when it's not like that anymore. It's like I'd grown so used to the side effects that to not have them anymore, it's just…weird."

Paul narrowed his eyebrows, processing what he'd just heard. Percy was known not to make sense sometimes, and right now seemed to be one of those times. Then again, maybe he had made some sense, if one thought about it. Paul knew his point of view would always be different from Percy's, simply because Percy had experienced things that Paul had not and never would.

Percy snuck a glance at Paul's confused expression. "I mean, I'm not complaining," Percy explained, "It's just…"

"Weird," Paul supplied.

Percy cracked a small smile, a little embarrassed. "Yeah." Paul chuckled. The two were quiet for a minute. "Paul, can I ask you something," Percy asked, breaking silence, if you can call it that in the city.

"Sure," Paul answered, turning to face the demigod.

"If you could do it all over; go back in time and do things differently, not have to deal with all of this, with… with me, would you?"

Paul blinked, taken completely off guard. Is that what Percy thought? That Paul regretted his decision to marry Sally? That he was a burden to Paul?

"Percy," he began, wanting to say so much, and having no clue how to say it, "If I could go back in time, I would do a lot of things differently. I would work harder in school. I would listen to my parents more and make sure they knew how much I loved them. I would enjoy the time I had to be young and free of responsibility, while it lasts. I could make a list a mile long of all the things I would do if I could go back in time and live my life differently, but out of everything that I would change if I could, there's one thing I wouldn't change in a million years, no matter what. I would never change having married your mom and I would never, ever change becoming your dad, Percy. In fact, if I could do anything differently, I would track down and marry your mom much sooner than I did. I would save her from that monster of a man she married, and I would help her raise you the way you deserved to be raised. So no, I wouldn't change how things turned out, because I don't regret them at all. Not a single thing."

Percy turned to Paul, incredulous. "You wouldn't rather not have to deal with everything that goes on because of me, because of who I am?"

"Percy, I won't tell you that I've never thought about how different things would be if you weren't a demigod; how much easier things would be on all of us, especially you, because I have. I think about it a lot, but there's a difference between thinking and wanting. In a way I guess I do want that, but not so things could be easier on me.

"I know things are hard for you, Percy. They were never easy, even before last winter. But you didn't choose this life, and it would be wrong for me to judge you based on something that you have absolutely no control over. So yes, in a way I do wish you weren't a demigod, but only so you wouldn't have to go through what you do."

"Why?" Percy asked, "It would be easier on you if I weren't a demigod. Heck, things would be worlds better for my mom if I wasn't either."

"That would be true," Paul answered, "if it really mattered to either of us. I can tell you right now, I wouldn't have it any other way, and I know your mom wouldn't either. We love you for _you_, Percy, every part of you. Most of the time, you hate this. I know you do, but you're a hero, and you accept your circumstances because it's what you need to do. It's what's right. _That's_ what we love about you, Perce, the fact that you're selfless and good. You care about others and you put them first. You're _ridiculously_ powerful, man, but it doesn't even faze you. It doesn't matter that you've faced down gods and defeated Titans, or that you've traveled through literal hell and survived. Few people wouldn't let that get to their head. You don't flaunt your power. You don't put yourself on a pedestal. You're a good guy, Percy, and _that's_ what people love about you. That's what _I _love about you.

"Sure, maybe it would be easier sometimes if you weren't always off on dangerous quests, but only because we worry about you. It's not the monster attacks or the midnight missions, or the complications from Tartarus that we mind. It's the fear of the very good possibility that you could be in danger. We, especially your mother, worry because we love you. We want what's best for you, and we want you to live to see another day, because, no matter how nonchalant you are about everything, you've come close to dying probably hundreds of times, and parents are supposed to worry."

Percy studied the crowded streets below him. "Do you really consider me your son? Because… because I consider you my dad. And a really good one at that." At that last part, Percy looked up and cautiously glanced at Paul."

"Of course I do," Paul answered automatically. He didn't even have to think about that one. Was this really what Percy thought? That Paul didn't want him as a son? Since when? Maybe that's what Percy had meant when he'd said things were weird since he'd been recovering from Tartarus. Now that he was grounded in reality again, he knew how bad things had been during his recovery, and he thought he'd been a burden, that Paul didn't like him for being a demigod. "Percy," he continued, "You _are _my son, okay? I don't care that you're not biologically mine, and I don't care that you're half god. You are _mine,_ and nothing can change that. I want you to know that."

Percy turned to look at Paul, misty eyed. "Sorry," Percy said, blinking away the tears. "I know things have been hard on you and mom lately, and I probably could have made things easier. It's just, Tartarus-"

"Percy," Paul interrupted, "I know. It's alright. It's not your fault, okay? Stop blaming yourself. I heard what happened down there, and I can't even imagine going through that. I'm just happy that you made it out in one piece, that you're still you, and that you are getting better every day. Nothing else matters. Not to me and definitely not to your mom."

"Do you really mean that?" Percy asked, studying the city streets again.

"I really do, Percy," Paul replied, "You have to believe me."

Percy shook his head. "Sorry. I do, and it's really good to know."

"I hope so, because that's not going to change."

Percy continued staring at Manhattan below him. "I guess it's just hard to believe sometimes. I mean, every other demigod I know either has parents who hate them because they're half-bloods, or no family at all. And then, here I am, with not only a mom who loves me, but now, a dad too."

Paul didn't really know how to respond to that. Eventually he said, "Well, I can't speak for anyone else, but I can promise you that I'm not going anywhere, Perce."

Percy didn't respond right away. He stared down at his hands, mulling over what he had just heard, but he looked happier than before. "Thanks, Dad," he said after a minute or two, smiling a little. He looked much better now, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He hugged Paul.

"No problem, Percy," Paul said as Percy pulled away. "Don't blame yourself, "he added.

Percy took on wry expression. "Personal loyalty _is_ my fatal flaw, Paul, but I'll try. I promise."

"That's all I can ask for," Paul replied, smiling.

Percy smiled for real now. "C'mon. Let's go inside. I know you hate this fire escape." Paul laughed, but didn't hesitate in following his stepson inside.

Paul wasn't really a fan of those emotional conversations that occurred from time to time since Percy and Annabeth's trip through Tartarus. He never seemed to know what to say, but somehow, he always managed to say what was both needed and true at the same time. He found that when he was just honest, he always managed to come up with the right words.

As Paul thought about it, he realized that it was probably normal for Percy to worry about such things as he had. Paul realized that it was probably just another step on the road to recovery, and he was happy to realize that now, Percy was recovered enough to be himself again, which consisted of concern of everyone else before himself. If he thought about it, after everything that year, it was perfectly normal, and should have been expected of Percy.

At the end of the day, going back to normal was almost as weird as the initial change for the demigods, but they would get there eventually. Paul had no doubt.

Paul couldn't help going back to Percy's question about going back in time and changing things. He had never really thought of things like that before, other than to wish that he'd met Sally much sooner than he had, but, as he thought about it, he realized that he really had meant what he'd told Percy. Even after everything that had gone on over the last few years, Paul really didn't regret a thing. He had married the love of his life and become a father to, in his opinion at least, the best kid in the world. He was happy with his life, completely and wholly satisfied, and he wouldn't change a thing. He just couldn't, because, even with everything that could be considered bad, nothing he could change about his life could ever make it as good as it was now.

Even if he could, Paul wouldn't change a thing.

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**Like it? Love it? Hate it(hope not)? Let me know!**

**I love, love, LOVE all the feedback I've been getting for this story. THANK YOU SO MUCH! In case you guys don't know, I really do read each and every review that is left for me via my stories, so it is certainly not in vain! It's really nice to know that all the hard work I put into these chapters is appreciated! Thanks a bunch!**

**Until the next chapter!**


	27. Unstoppable

**Hey guys! Here it is, the last and final chapter of Long Road Ahead. Thank you all SOOOOOOOOOOO much! To each and every one of you followers, favoriters, and especially you reviewers, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart! :)**

**As I mentioned in previous author's notes, I will be making an epilogue for this story since it only covers a year's time. That should be up within a few days, so you can keep this story on your notifications list for a bit longer.**

**Anyway, here is chapter 26. I tried to make it nice and deep for ya, so hopefully you approve! R&R please!**

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan continues to own PJO and HoH. :)**

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One year. It had been one year. One year sine Paul's life had been turned upside down.

Well, really, it should have turned upside down the very first minute Percy was missing, but Paul had held him in much too high a regard to believe him lost. It should have turned upside down when he and Sally had received that fateful IM from Chiron, explaining Percy and Annabeth's fall into hell, but it hadn't. Paul had refused to believe it, not for a second. He couldn't.

No, Paul's world had been turned upside down the second he'd opened the front door to find Percy, battered and abused beyond belief, standing in the doorway after months of being gone. That was the day everything had become real, the day he come face to face with reality, the day he had been forced to come to terms with the truth. It was the day that had changed everything, now exactly a year ago.

Paul sat with his arm around his wife, on the couch in the living room, while Percy and Annabeth sat on the opposite couch, the latter leaning against her boyfriend, while he wrapped his arms around her lovingly, protectively.

The TV was on, but no one was watching it. Sally had her eyes closed as she leaned against Paul, though he was pretty sure she wasn't sleeping, but simply enjoying the peace. Paul was watching the demigods on the other couch. Annabeth too had her eyes closed as she leaned against Percy, though, judging from her deep, even breathing, and her slack expression, Paul assumed she, unlike Sally, really was asleep. Percy seemed lost in thought as he held his love against his chest, though not in a bad way. He seemed content, happy, at peace. It had been a long time since Paul had seen him look so tranquil, a long, _long _time.

It was surreal to think that it had been a year since the demigods' return from Tartarus. In some aspects, the past year had been the longest of Paul's life, and in others, it had gone by so quickly. It had been a year full of hope and faith, of believing in something to the very core of your being. It had been a year of immense anxiety and heartbreak.

Yet it had also been a year of growth; growth of love, growth of family, and growth of faith. Things were so different now. This past year had changed everything, but everything was also the same, everything that really mattered, at least.

The day had been a pretty normal one. No one had brought up the anniversary, but everyone had known what day it was. Sally had prepared a relatively fancy dinner, through which, one could say the celebration was implied, but other than that, the day had been nothing short of ordinary.

As Paul thought about it, as always, his mind was blown at the extreme improvement in the mental states of the demigods. He had heard of the absolute horrors the two had experienced in hell, way more than enough to drive one completely insane. Heck, everything the two had been through even before the quest to Greece should have taken a much larger toll on them then it had. Tartarus should have been the absolute last straw, the breaking point, even for demigods as strong as Percy and Annabeth. Yet it hadn't. They had gotten better, beating all odds just like they always did. The fact that they had improved so immensely, only through the love they shared for each other, amazed Paul beyond explanation.

They weren't completely healed, not fully one hundred percent back to normal, and there was still a possibility that they would never be, but Paul was okay with this. Since they had been home, all he had ever wanted for Percy and Annabeth, was that they would, one day, be able to move past Tartarus enough to lead semi-normal lives and be able to get at least some sleep at night. The two had done this and more, and so much quicker than Paul could ever have asked for.

Now, Percy and Annabeth were so close to normal, some days, it was hard to tell that anything had ever been wrong; that they'd ever come within inches of insanity; that they'd ever been through Tartarus and back, the only demigods ever to survive. But they weren't one hundred percent yet. Certain days, certain topics, certain words, and their scars became slightly obvious, though outsiders would never know the difference. Certain nights still involved nightmares and some lost sleep. Certain days, the two held each other a little tighter, a little longer, but even then, it was okay with Paul, because they would be okay. Even if they weren't quite there, even if they never quite got there, it was enough. Percy and Annabeth were happy. Sally was happy. Paul was happy too.

Paul knew Percy and Annabeth felt the same way. Up until the last month or so, the demigods would get frustrated with the changes in themselves and the other, the weaknesses that had seemed to dominate everything else. Even as things had gotten better, Paul would still notice their aggravation at times. However, over the last few weeks, that too, had changed. The two now seemed content with the progress, at peace with how far they had come, and happy to just be able to enjoy life again. And that was exactly what they were doing.

As Paul sat there, taking in the peace and beauty of his family, he realized just how lucky they really had been. Things could have ended up so much different than they had. Percy and Annabeth could have stayed trapped in the nightmares and flashbacks, the memories, having not improved since coming home. Just as likely a scenario, the two could have died in Tartarus. Even worse still, one could have made it out without the other and have been left to try and heal by them self, which would have been impossible, or close to it, and by far the worst possibility. Thinking about this, Paul realized just how unstable a situation they all had been faced with. Things could have been so much worse, and yet, he honestly couldn't see any other outcome for the demigods. It might have been unrealistic and stupid, but he believed in them way too much to even think about any other outcome actually coming to fruition. He held them in much too high a regard. This was Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, heroes of Olympus, saviors of the gods, survivors of Tartarus, some of the best fighters of their generation, maybe ever. Of course they would have gotten better. It wasn't like anything else could have happened. That had been Paul's mindset, and he had believed it for a long time. It had been the only way he had kept going throughout the year, but now, as he sat there, he came to terms with reality and the very good possibility that, yes, those things could have happened. The outcome could have been very different; everything could have been. And yet, as these things occurred to him, it only made Percy and Annabeth seem stronger now.

They _were_ stronger. They had been through more than any other demigod, ever, and the side-effects had been bad, but they had made it through and were continuing to do so. They had done what no one else had ever done before, and they were okay, scarred for life, probably never to be quite the same again, but, all things considered, they were very okay, and that was enough.

Percy and Annabeth had their entire lives ahead of them and now, Paul knew, without a doubt, that the two would be able to live them. The road to recovery had been a long, hard one, and would continue to be. The last steps were always the hardest, but they weren't going to quit. He knew that too. Percy and Annabeth were a lot of things, but they were not quitters. He knew they wouldn't give up as long as they had each other, because, together, they could do anything. As long as they had each other, it didn't matter how high the mountain, they would climb it. As long as they had each other, it didn't matter how big the monster, they would fight it. They were demigods, heroes, warriors. Percy and Annabeth were stronger than their trials, stronger than their fears, stronger than Tartarus itself. Fatal flaws could only set them back so far. Gods and Titans could only throw so much in their paths. Circumstances and situations never stood a chance. As long as they had each other, the best was yet to come, because, as long as they were together, Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase would make it through. Together, they were unstoppable.

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**Good? Bad? Let me know! C'mon, it's the last chapter, you have too! (even if the epilogue will kind of be the last... still!) **

**Thanks again to everyone! Final stats for this story will be included in the AN for the epilogue.**

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	28. Epilogue

**Hey Guys! Here's the epilogue. Sorry it took so long, I wasn't really sure how I wanted this to work, but I finally figured it out. Hope you like it!**

**So, Long Road Ahead is officially finished! This was my first story on FF, and I'm SO glad it worked out as well as it did. I want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who had read this story. Thank you for all the followers and favorites, and thank you for all the reviews! THANKS SO MUCH!**

**As I've mentioned before, I am planning on writing a story about adult life for Percy and Annabeth, which will include marriage, family, stuff like that. I'm not sure when it will be up, but I hope to have it started within the next few weeks. I will probably give you all the title in an AN in this story to let you guys know, so don't unfollow this story quite yet if you want that update!**

**Happy House of Hades! I haven't gotten the book yet, but I'm going out of my mind in anticipation! I can't wait! No spoilers please. Hope you all enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: PJO and HoO is owned by Rick Riordan, not me! :)**

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The next three years were times of change, adjustment, and continued healing, sometimes all at once.

Percy and Annabeth made it through their senior year at Goode, which proved easier than expected in every aspect. They both graduated at the end of the year, Annabeth, with flying colors, and Percy, who, thanks to Annabeth, did better than anyone could ever have expected. Both had plans to go to college the following fall, though it was hard to say if that was truly Percy's wish, or Annabeth's requirement.

The two years that followed included more improvement on Percy and Annabeth's parts, than anyone had ever dreamed possible. It seemed that just when Paul thought they couldn't possibly get any closer to the way they'd been before, they did just that. It was almost like they subconsciously did it, just to prove him wrong, though he certainly had no problem with it.

As time went on, and seasons changed, it became very easy to see that everything that had happened had happened for a reason. It all led up to one thing, one day. Everything that had happened between Percy and Annabeth since they were twelve years old, both good and bad, it all led up to one day. Paul hadn't known either of the demigods as long as they had known each other, but he could still see it. He still knew.

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It was a hot summer day in mid-July. Paul and Sally had spent the day cleaning up the apartment. They had been taking a break in the kitchen, chatting, while Sally cooked a late lunch.

Percy had walked in and sat down at the table then. Paul and Sally had stopped talking when he had entered the room; so really, the scene was set for what he was about to say, but Percy was in no rush. He sat casually; like he did any other time he sat in that spot and didn't say anything right away. Paul assumed the demigod had nothing to say and no particular reason for entering the kitchen, other than the fact that there was food cooking and he was a twenty year old guy. He was about to say something in response to an earlier comment made by Sally, when Percy beat him to it, in a voice that was strangely calm and laid back, considering what he was saying.

"I'm gonna ask Annabeth to marry me."

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Sally had cried and hugged her son. Paul had patted the demigod's back, smiling ear to ear, though they had both known this was coming for a long time, and it really was no surprise. Percy had already bought the ring, which he showed to the both of them, and was planning on popping the question on August eighteenth, Percy's twenty-first birthday, and, more importantly, his and Annabeth's fifth anniversary together.

Paul knew Annabeth would say yes. He had no doubt in his mind, and it was obvious Percy knew this too, though Paul knew he would be uncharacteristically nervous when the time came. Knowing Percy, nothing would go as planned. Knowing Percy, it would be a mess and he'd probably end up embarrassing himself. But, knowing Percy, the messed up catastrophe that couldn't be farther from what was supposed to happen, would end up being just right and would end in perfection nonetheless. Because, in the end, it wouldn't matter the specific details, or what was supposed to happen, or how many times Percy messed up on what was sure to be, a heartfelt, emotional speech from the bottom of his heart and soul. What would matter at the end was that they were together, forever, and nothing would ever separate them again.

The monsters would still come. The gods would probably never get their immortal acts together. Evil would still exist and Percy and Annabeth would probably never catch a break. They were demigods after all. But in the end, none of that would matter.

It had been a long time coming. It didn't take a daughter of Aphrodite to see that Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase were meant for each other. They had survived hordes of monsters, gods, Titans, Giants, even Tartarus itself, and their love was stronger than ever. They bore the scars of demigod life, both physically and emotionally. The awful memories would haunt them for the rest of their lives, no matter how good things got. Life hadn't been easy so far, it probably never would be, but Percy had Annabeth; Annabeth had Percy. They would be fine.

They had taken many paths and traveled many roads, sometimes together, sometimes completely alone, to get to where they were now, but they had made it this far. There was no stopping them now. They were together. They were happy. They were alive and well. That was all that would ever matter, and the best was yet to come.

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**And there you have it! That officially ends LRA. Thanks again for reading!**

**-LiveLaughLove728**

**Fin.**


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